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Metro rail; Look before you leap, suggest experts

Tawfique Au
Leading transport planners suggest that the government should go for feasibility study on the proposed underground rail system in Dhaka involving experts with adequate knowledge and expertise in developing such a system.
The proposed feasibility study may fail attract private and foreign investment for the project unless internationally reputed experts are involved, theysaid.
The government at an inter-ministerial meeting on October 13 took the decision to carry out a Tk 10-crore feasibility study on the metro rail.
“Feasibility study of such a complex subject should involve experts who have expertise in developing metro underground rail system,” said Dr Rahmatullah, a policy adviser of Transport Sector Management Reform of the Planning Commission.
A top official of the communi-cations ministry said since Bangladesh does not have any expertise in developing metro rail, it should involve foreign experts for the study.
Rahmatullah, who also worked as an urban transportplanning expert for STR suggested that the terms of reference (TOR) of the feasibility study must be very well defined with outputs clearly mentioned. Duration of study should be at least 10 to 12 months.
Involvement of the international experts, who have practical experience in undertaking feasibility study of metro Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) elsewhere in the region, would ensure credibility to the study and attract private sector investment, he said.
He recommended sharing of experience from regional experts. New Delhi has developed a 65-kilometre MRT system consisting of 20 percent underground and 80 percent elevated railway. A study on metro system in Kolkata is being carried out at present
The government decided to start construction of the under- ground rail system by the middle of next year and complete it by 2013 to facilitate mobility of the city dwellers and ease the perennial traffic congestions in the capital.
The Study is set to start in December and be completed by next June. Tender for the study was supposed to be floated this month, but the planning ministry is yet to approve it.
A top official of the communications ministry said the initiative would have advanced quite far if the donors and private sector investors were involved at the very outset.
The study must involve transport economists, competent personnel with international reputation in data collection and analysis and those who have
been internationally involved with feasibility study and development of metro system, said Rahmatullah.
He recommended for a team of experts or advisers comprising government officials and transport experts to monitor and oversee the progress of the study.
According to him, cost of underground metro transport system is so high that mere Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) type of contract will not be successful. Public-private partnership will be required to make it a success. It will also require governmentsubsidy.
Compared to elevated railway, underground rail cost is double and its construction too is much more difficult. The study should adequately focus on how much of metro rail should be underground and how much elevated. Besides, experts involved in the study must keep in mind the recommendations in the STP and then suggest any modification.
The STP identifies six possible MRT routes out of which three may function as bus rapid transit (BRT) for the time being but subsequently have to be turned into rail-based MRT.
The other three routes are supposed to be rail-based MRT from the very beginning. Study also should identify locations of the stations and integration with othermodes.
Belayet Hossain, director general of Bangladesh Railway, said that they are not looking for
fund for the feasibility study. The study cost would be reimbursed from the winning bidders who will implement the project, he said.
The government on November 4, 2007 decided to go for underground railway network on a priority basis to resolve transport need and mitigate traffic congestion.
A 12-member committee headed by communications adviser formed on October 25, .2007 decided to implement the project with private entrepreneurs on build-own-operate basis.
According to the experts, there is no mention of underground railway in the STP. It mentions only metro system, which may be underground railway or elevated railway or bus rapid transit (BRT), they said.
"Metro transport system does not necessarily mean under-ground railway," said Rahmatullah. "It may be partly underground, on-the-surface, or elevated railway. It may be an integration of different types as well."
Feasibility study is required to determine the suitable 2 mode of transport at afford-£ able cost, he said adding that g one cannot guarantee without prior study that just underground railway will resolve the transport problems of the capital city. It all depends on study where to construct underground rail and where elevated rail.
Though the issue of feasibility study came up in 2002, it got stuck in the question on who should fund it. The planning ministry insisted again and again on looking for foreign funds. Finally, the communications ministry came up with the idea in April this year that the study would be done with public money but it would be reimbursed as a "success fee" by the winning bidder of the project.
The grand project aims at building a 60-km metro railway at an estimated cost of Tk 10,000 crore with a target to carry 4,000 people per hour.