BRTC bus service begins on Dhaka elevated expressway

Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) began bus service on the Farmgate-Airport route of the Dhaka Elevated Expressway on Monday to facilitate smooth transportation of the city dwellers.

Road Transport and Highways Division Secretary ABM Amin Ullah Nuri inaugurated the service through a programme at Manik Mia Avenue in Dhaka around 11am.

After the inauguration, the first bus of the BRTC left for Uttara Jasim Uddin intersection around 11:25 am.

The bus, like a shuttle service, will only run on the elevated expressway from 7 am every day from Khejur Bagan intersection in the Farmgate area and again it will come back to the starting point via Jasim Uddin intersection.

service will continue till night on the basis of passengers’ availability, said Nuri.

Earlier on September 2, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the much-awaited 11.5-km elevated expressway's Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport-Farmgate section for traffic that is expected to significantly reduce the city's traffic congestion.

The prime minister unveiled the nameplate of the expressway at Kawla end of the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.

The length of this section is about 11.5 km. There are 15 ramps for boarding. Out of these, two ramps at Banani and Mohakhali will remain closed for the time being. The maximum speed limit for traffic on the expressway will be 60 km per hour.

The total expenditure of the project is estimated at Tk 8,940 crore, while the viability gap funding is Tk 2,413 crore, which will be provided by the Bangladesh government.

The First Dhaka Elevated Expressway (FDEE) Company Ltd is the investor company. Italian Thai Development Public Company Ltd has 51 percent shares, China Shandong International Economic and Technical Co-operation Group (CSI) holds 34 percent while Sinohydro Corporation Ltd has 15 percent shares.

As per the project, the first contract was signed on January 19, 2011 and the reviewed agreement was signed on December 15, 2013, and the project completion period was July 2011-June 2024.

Construction of the second phase Banani Railway Station to Moghbazar Railway Crossing is progressing fast.