04/11/2025
Bangladesh’s transport policy continues to focus primarily on roads and highways, with recent attention shifting toward metro rail expansion. While the metro system is a significant step forward, it mainly serves limited urban corridors. What’s missing from our planning discourse is a focus on revitalizing existing railway routes and waterways, which could serve millions more across short and medium distances.
Historically, inland waterways were central to our national connectivity low-cost, energy-efficient, and sustainable. Over time, these routes have been lost to urban encroachment, siltation, and policy neglect. Meanwhile, railways, which already connect key industrial zones such as Narayanganj, Gazipur, and Savar, remain underutilized despite their potential to move large volumes of passengers and goods efficiently.
While we plan for new metro lines, we often overlook the existing railway infrastructure that could be upgraded at a fraction of the cost to deliver far broader impact. A balanced strategy would use rail and water transport to complement roads and metro systems, not compete with them.
According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), the transport, storage, and communication sector contributes about 9.5% of national GDP, yet road congestion alone costs the economy an estimated 2–3% of GDP annually through lost working hours, fuel inefficiency, and productivity loss.
Effective mobility planning is not about building more roads or isolated projects. It’s about connecting systems, optimizing what we already have, and ensuring transport infrastructure supports sustainable growth and inclusive development.
