Dhaka elevated railway
A Mawaz, Dhaka
As a retired technocrat, I would urge the government not to go for subway railway system as a first option. A Japanese team, as per press reports, would carry the feasibility study. Also, the possibility of having an elevated train network in and around greater Dhaka zone may be examined, for comparative psychological and social implications.It appears that elevated railway might be more suitable for a developing country. The capital, operation and maintenance costs of a subway is much more; and technical maintenance aspects are complex, specially in emergency cases, as witnessed in London after the 7/7 blast. Nowadays the psychological aspects have become important, as terrorist activities are on the increase world wide, targeting the metropolitan transport systems. Tropical environment would encourage outdoor open elevated railway (too congested at ground level). Families (women, children) might avoid subway, especially after sunset. In case of accidents, it takes a long time to recover the dead bodies trapped inside tubes, and to restore normal operation. Dhaka is full of rivers and soft soil; with too many deep tube wells in operation. The long-term effects need careful study, our systems losses are high; both technically and those relating to the human aspects.
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