Tuhin Shubhra Adhikary

The work to expand the Sylhet-Tamabil highway to a four-lane one will finally start around three years after the project was approved, with the goal of improving the country’s intercity travel and cross-border connectivity.

Every time Bappi Hasan takes a ride to his Shariatpur home crossing the Padma Bridge, one thing crosses his mind: had the bridge been built 20 years ago, he could have managed to ensure better treatment for his deceased mother.

In response to India’s proposal for movement of its trains through Bangladesh, the Bangladesh Railway, in a letter, has requested the neighbouring country to give a clearer outline.

Taking the benefit of a 172-year-old law, thousands of vehicles carrying government officials are not paying tolls on roads and bridges under the Roads and Highways Department (RHD), costing the state a huge amount of revenue.

The government’s decision to allow Jamaat-e-Islami back in active politics, instead of bringing it to book for its 1971 role, will be suicidal for the ruling Awami League and above all, the country, said freedom fighters, families of the martyrs and war crimes researchers.

Expansion work on highways, short holidays, and roadside cattle markets are likely to cause sufferings to north-bound Eid holidaymakers.

More than one in five buses of private operators running in the capital have no valid fitness certificates.

The roads that have been in “poor, bad or very bad” conditions got worse over the last one year, dealing a setback to the Roads and Highways Department.

Over 74,000 registered buses, trucks and other commercial vehicles are past their economic lifespan set by the government.

By failing to buy 70 locomotives over the last 11 years, Bangladesh Railway (BR) has shown how the non-implementation of a single project can hurt the organisation’s overall services and cause huge financial losses.

The government will build a 1.07km underpass in the capital’s airport area to link Dhaka airport terminals, railway, BRT, MRT stations and the Hajj camp.

The government has decided that buses and trucks will be scrapped after 20 and 25 years of being on the road.

 The Dhaka-Cox’s Bazar rail line via Chattogram is likely to open this September, but the rail connectivity between the capital and the tourist district may not be smooth before 2028.

Vehicle registration in Bangladesh has declined to an eight-year low in the first four months of this year, owing to consumer tightening their belts and escalated prices fueled by higher import costs.

In a major development, the metro rail authority has finalised the first contractor which will begin the physical work of the country’s third metro rail project titled Mass Rapid Transit Line-5 (Northern Route).

Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) is set to buy 440 new buses, including 100 electric buses for the first time in the country, to enhance and upgrade its services in Dhaka, Chattogram and different inter-district routes.

While Bangladesh Railways is already struggling with more than 70 percent of its locomotives being old, it may face further issues as two of its projects, to buy or overhaul 91 locomotives, are going to be cancelled.

An extension of the Bus Rapid Transit Line-3 beyond Dhaka airport is being considered to further facilitate operations and serve city-bound passengers.

An impasse over the upgradation of Dhaka-Chattogram Highway seems to be over as the Roads and Highways Department has started working to determine where the road will have six lanes and where it will have eight.

Japan, South Korea and the World Bank have expressed interests in financing the preparatory works for two more metro rail lines, said the authorities.