The broad benefits of this PLUS 15 are at least three fold.

* All surface intersecting city roads will become free of rail crossing, allowing for smoother on grade traffic flow. There will be no need to flyovers over rail crossings.

* Allow Bangladesh Railway to continue to serve from the heart of the city without impediments or having need to reroute the existing line or moving the Kamlapur Rail station to the north, all of which would be costly and very time consuming ventures.

* Most importantly, it will allow the construction of an above grade METRO Rail (Mass Rapid Transit) through the heart of the city and at substantially lower cost than an underground system. This can also be built much faster.

The new Strategic Transport Plan (STP) 2004 2024, Dhaka, proposes a three-component transportation development schemes for the next twenty years. These in capsulate form are 1) ROADS++ (+) (54 new roads projects), 2) BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) (with 3 proposed lines) and a 3) METRO (3 lines Mass Rapid Transit) system. The article will deal with the issue of possible development of one line of the proposed METRO system on elevated platform in combination with the existing (Bangladesh) Railway line.

Figure 1 shows the integrated Roads and the Mass Rapid Transit Systems (Metro and BRT). In the STP plan METRO line 1 is shown (as Green Line) using the same alignment as the current Bangladesh Rail line entering the city from the north to its main station (in Kamlapur) in the heart of the city? The proposed STP plan proposes to replace the existing Railway line and using the same alignment and the Right of Way for the proposed new Metro line 1 through a combination of over ground and underground systems. The fate of the railway line is left somewhat undecided in the report. It presupposes that in future the railway line might be terminated at the top of the City in Tongi with a new station or proposes a new Right of Way secured through the east of the city to the existing station. This assumption I feel is erroneous. Having the main rail way station in the heart of the city is nothing unusual and has many advantages. Many large cities in the world continue to have main rail station in the heart of the city for a variety of reasons, including the convenience of intercity travelers. To reroute the line through the east of the city will also not be that easy and cheap. The current problem with the existing railway line is that it has some nineteen on grade crossings with major and secondary city roads. This seriously disrupts the city transport system, causing hours of delay as no less than 76 passenger trains and an unknown number of cargo and container trains use the train line daily. This adds up to more than five hours of stoppage time during an eighteen-hour (6:00 am to 12:00 midnight) working day. This is a serious impediment to the existing traffic and transport system in the city, causing severe traffic jams. The proposed new STP Metro line is supposed to be mostly underground to avoid interacting with the existing city roads. Underground Metro system (inclusive of line and rolling stock) is expensive, costing between US$50 million to US$100 million per kilometer to build. As against this the cost of overhead elevated Metro line (inclusive of line and rolling stock is less than US$30 million. So there is definitely a good deal of merit if the line can be elevated above ground and avoid on grade interacting with the existing city roads. An example of elevated Metro line is shown on Fig. 2 (Delhi Metro Rail). Fig 3 shows inside of an elevated Metro Rail station (Delhi Metro Rail).

Fig 4 shows northern part of a sketch route alignment of proposed PLUS 15 METRO (MRT)/BR (Bangladesh Railway) system from Air Port to Mohakhali. It shows Metro /BRT Stations at Airport and Metro stations at Pragarti Sharani and a Metro / BR station Kemal Ataturk Junction of the Airport Road, using the existing railway Right of Way. Fig.5 shows a Plus 15 Metro/ BRT line between Kemal Ataturk Ave. and Saidabad /Jatrabari. The proposed Metro stations on this line are Mohakhali Farm gate (extension on Tajuddin Ave.) Sonargaon and Kamlapur Main Rail Station. A second alternative with part underground is also show through Kakaril and through Bangladesh Bank (Motijheel) to serve more heavily commuter origin and destination points in the Central Business District.

The idea is to combine the rail systems (the inter city rail and the intra-city Metro rail system) on the same elevated platform using the existing Right of Way and alignment on most of the way. I propose that an elevated platform raised at least 15 ft (4.6 meters) from grade be used for both form of railways. This way all 19 city road inter sections will become free. The platform will have space for four lines. Two inner lines will be used by the intercity Bangladesh Railway, which will have stations only at Tongi in the north, at airport and Banani in the center and the main station at Kamlapur. The outer lines on the raised platform will carry the new Metro line. It will have far more frequent stations at Tongi, Pragati Sharani, Mohakahali, and Kamal Ataturk Ave. Sonargaon. Mogh Bazar, Kamlapur (Motijheel) and Saidabad/Jatrabari. The construction cost of this line will be similar to an elevated dual two lane elevated expressway. The dual two lane ( total four lane ) seven kilometer long Jatrabari to Gulistan fly over (elevated expressway) with thirteen exits and entry ramps is proposed to be built for Tk. seven hundred crore (Tk. 700 crores) on a BOT system. Some professionals think that in that project the costs may be excessive. Even then the cost of development is around Tk. 100 crores (US$ 13 million) per kilometers. Using JatraBari Gulistan Fly over as base figure the twenty kilometer Uttara to Jatrabari combined Railway /Metro line could be built for Tk. 2000 Crores (US$ 260 million). The cost of Metro rolling stocks and Metro stations and lines would be extra. This whole line with the elevated platform, lines, rolling stocks, and stations can be built under US$ 500 million. This is less than fifty percent (50 %) of the cost of building an underground only Metro line (estimated at low end of US$50 million per km for a total cost of US$ 1.00 billion). Further benefits of the elevated PLUS FIFTEEN line are:

1) It grade separates it from all existing city roads for now and in future. No need to build expensive flyovers like the one at Mohakhali in future.

2) It provides access to Bangladesh Railway to continue to use its main railway station in Kamlapur, which also has an important container station. It also avoids the cost of acquiring a new Right of Way through the eastern part of the City. The cost of development can be shared with Bangladesh Railway. Bangladesh Railway also benefits having a brand new up to date line to the city centre. It does no have to relocate its critical Main Station and the container terminal and does not have to acquire new Right of Way through the eastern part of the city and develop it.

3) The underside of the elevated PLUS FIFTEEN structure can be used in many different ways, from on grade roads, parking stations, shopping complexes, and other commercial and civic uses.

4) The cost savings from underground system and new land acquisition will make it the most economically viable project.

5) The new Metro line will be capable of moving up to 60,000 passengers each way per hour and move at average of 40 to 50 km per hour uninterrupted. Buses now move no more than 10,000 passengers per hour at 10 to 13 km per hour in the city. Even the proposed new STP Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system on dedicated lanes will not move more than 15,000 passengers per hour. The BRT will also reduce road capacity for other kinds of traffic by 30% to 50 % since it will take away in of the existing lanes on the roadway.

So the PLUS FIFTEEN Metro could be the best system for moving large volumes of traffic/ passengers per hour. It will also be the fastest system.

There is thus an overwhelming logic in using the current rail way alignment for both the Metro and the BR by elevating it above grade (plus 15'). Let this line be the first in the development of new Mass Rapid Transit system for Dhaka. If implemented, this line will have a capacity to move one million passengers per day rapidly and without polluting the environment and reducing the demand for surface vehicles substantially. In a City projected to double its population to 25 million by 2024 and increase its ridership from 300,000 to more than a million that is a serious food for thought. Reader's comments are welcome.

Tanwir Nawaz is an Architect and Urbanist. Contact for Mr. Nawaz is [email protected]