After a decade of anticipation, the much-discussed Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project officially commenced operations with 10 air-conditioned buses.
However, several key infrastructural components, including road dividers, stations, and foot overbridges, remain incomplete.
The project was inaugurated on Sunday (15 December) at 8am by adviser for the ministries of Power, Energy, and Mineral Resources, Road Transport and Bridges, and Railways, Muhammad Fauzul Kabir Khan.
Earlier that morning, at 6:30am, he also inaugurated a pair of commuter trains on the Joydebpur-Dhaka route from the Joydebpur railway station.
Following the launch, 10 BRTC buses began operations from Gazipur to Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, extending service to Farmgate and Shahbagh.
Despite the official inauguration, passengers experienced confusion due to ongoing issues, highlighting the incomplete state of the project.
The BRT, aimed at alleviating severe passenger hardships and saving travel time on the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway, has taken longer than any other national project to reach this stage.
Senior Secretary of the Roads and Highways Department, Md Ehsanul Haque, stated that 98% of the project has been completed, with the remaining work to continue during bus operations. He expressed optimism that the project would be fully completed by June next year.
The BRT project was initially approved on 1 December 2012, with an estimated cost of Tk2,039.84 crore and a targeted completion by December 2016.
However, multiple extensions pushed the timeline to December 2023.
Most recently, it was expected to be completed by August this year, before being pushed back to December.
Amid the delays, the project suffered extensive damage during the anti-discrimination student movement, creating uncertainty about its launch.
The project envisions transporting 25,000 passengers per hour using 100 articulated buses.
During the launch event in Gazipur's Shibbari area, Fauzul Kabir reiterated that the BRT project would be fully completed by June.
For now, smaller vehicles and BRTC buses will use the BRT lanes.
He acknowledged widespread corruption in past projects but assured that no irregularities occurred under the interim government’s tenure.
Kabir urged individuals with credible information regarding previous corruption in the BRT project to report it to the ministry for action.
Kabir also highlighted that the project incurred costs exceeding Tk4,000 crore but had failed to deliver benefits to the public until now.
He affirmed that the interim government is implementing projects aligned with its development objectives to ensure public benefit.
