Tuhin Shubhra Adhikary

To celebrate Eid with their loved ones, thousands left Dhaka yesterday on trains, buses, and launches, and their journeys were mostly free of hassles.

Coaches are overcharging people heading for the north by up to Tk 900, taking advantage of the Eid rush, poor monitoring, and no set fare for long-haul air-conditioned buses.

The government has asked the non-government organisations working on road safety to inform the authorities concerned before releasing data on road crashes and casualties.

Physical works of the country’s largest steel-arch bridge in Mymensingh are expected to start in August, as the authorities have almost completed the preparatory works.

Road crash data from two government agencies does not match and this could lead to problems in making informed decisions on road safety

The government has finally approved a guideline for the registration and operation of electric vehicles.

The World Bank in March last year approved a loan for the biggest road safety project in Bangladesh. The loan contract with Bangladesh authorities has to be signed within one and a half years of the approval, or else, the loan would be cancelled, said officials.

A new rail-plus-road bridge at Kalurghat in Chattogram is going to cost almost 12 times the initial estimate because the authorities spent nine years doing multiple feasibility studies and designing and redesigning the bridge.

The second Dhaka-Narayanganj rail line project, which is already running behind schedule, has run into major trouble as a contractor has sought to cancel the contract.

The Roads and Highways Department will build 24km of bypass roads and a flyover on Chattogram-Cox’s Bazar highway to eliminate bottlenecks in five town areas.

Bangladesh Railway is looking to build a new rail line to bring Sonamasjid land port under the country’s rail network.

Motorcycle sales declined by 30 per cent in Bangladesh in the past two months due to higher inflationary pressures and a draft policy that makes securing a driving licence mandatory before buying two-wheelers.

When the Road Transport Act-2018 was enacted over four years ago incorporating a system of demerit points on driving licenses for traffic violation, the authorities said the system would go a long way in ensuring road safety.

A problem over funding the expansion of the Bhanga-Jashore-Benapole highway project is raising concerns that the work of the much-needed project may take more time to kick off.

With more than two-thirds of the 3,111 level crossings in the country considered unsafe, a government survey has recommended improving safety features of around 2,000 rail crossings.

A state-run Chinese company has proposed investing and constructing the Bhanga-Payra Port railline on a public-private partnership model.

Most vehicles involved in recent major and sensational road crashes did not have the required documents, including valid fitness certificates, or their drivers were without a valid licence.

The government is going to turn the 43km Sylhet to Sheola Land Port road into a dual carriageway to improve regional connectivity.

Ignoring the Revised Strategic Transport Plan, government agencies on their own initiated eight major projects in and around the capital. The projects could end up on the chopping block and the money already spent could be written off.

Bangladesh Road Transport Authority is set to increase its capacity to track stolen vehicles and monitor traffic movement by setting up 12 additional radio-frequency identification (RFID) stations at the capital’s entry and exit points over the next 12 months.