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Conceptual Physical Design of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) in Dhaka

Conference Paper · October 2013

DOI: 10.1061/9780784413210.025

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A Conceptual Physical Design of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) in Dhaka
1 2
Sudip Barua Dhrubo Alam & 2 Mudasser Seraj

1
Graduate Research Assistant, Transportation Engineering, Department of Civil and
Environmental Engineering, University of Alberta, Canada, Email:
barua1@[Link]
2
Transportation Engineering, Department of Civil Engineering, Bangladesh
University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), Dhaka, Bangladesh, Email:
dhrubo101@[Link]; [Link]@[Link]

ABSTRACT

Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh, is the largest and most industrialized
city with 15 million people. Due to rapid unplanned development, versatile land use,
rapid population growth, poor public transport system and increase of private car
users, traffic problems is worsening day by day. The only mass transit is bus which is
insufficient in terms of safety, capacity, comfort and convenience. Considering the
worsening congestion it is high time to develop effective mass transit system such as
Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) as a means for achieving sustainable urban transport in the
city. In this paper an attempt has been made to propose a conceptual physical
structure of BRT for the line3 which starts from Uttara and ends in Ramna covering
around 18.5 km. The BRT stations and runways are designed in a way to satisfy the
ever increasing public transport demand towards achieving a sustainable urban
public transport system.

1. INTRODUCTION

The functional hub of administrative, commercial, industrial, educational and

cultural activities of Bangladesh is Dhaka city, which has experienced phenomenal
growth in terms of population and motorization in last three decades. It is often
called Mega city, which indicates a large population agglomeration with more than
10 million (New Scientist Magazine, 2006). Currently the urban transportation of
Dhaka mostly relies on road transport, where bus, car, three-wheeler, rickshaw etc.
are coexistent. Eventually this creates serious traffic congestion in addition to health
and safety hazard. With the present national economic growth, the urban population
will gradually increase, at the same time the number of privately owned automobiles
will also increase significantly. Therefore, the improvement of urban public
transportation system of Dhaka city has become a pressing issue to improve its traffic
situation as well as urban environment. Considering the current situation, the
government of Bangladesh formulated a ‘Strategic Transport Plan’ (STP) with the
World Bank in 2005. The STP prepared ‘Urban Transportation Policy’ for 20 years
(2004-2024) and identified priority issues for improvement of mass transit system
which include implementation of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) in three arterial route of
Dhaka city (Louis Berger Group and BCL, 2005).

1
 Since the public transport system of Dhaka city is slow, inefficient, unreliable
and complex, the transportation authority's need to introduce an improved and
expanded system which will provide high quality with economically viable mass
transit service. This leads to the most practicable and easily employable alternative,
Bus Rapid Transit (BRT). BRT is a concept, increasingly implemented by cities
looking for cost-effective and sustainable transit system. In this light, a conceptual
physical structure for BRT line-3 has been proposed in this paper. The main
objective of this paper is to propose a conceptual physical structure of BRT line3
which starts from Uttara and ends in Ramna covering around 18.5 km.

2. FEATURES OF BUS RAPID TRANSIT SYSTEM (BRT)

BRT is a system, better describe in terms of a set of elements which includes-

runways, surface materials, stations, lane separation, vehicle and vehicle technology.
Though it may not be possible to satisfy all the conditions, it is essential to address
these components during planning and implementation for a successful and effective
BRT system.
Runway is the most important element of BRT system as performance and
effectiveness of other components to some extent depend on the characteristics and
features of runway. However, choice of a particular type of runway from various
available types, such as- mixed flow lanes with queue jumpers, on street bus lane,
bus only street, elevated transitway, transitway following rail etc., mostly depends on
the characteristics of transportation system of individual city. Other aspects of
runway include- (a) guidance system which helps to ensure safe operation of vehicle
with the help of guiding structure, mechanical or optical devices, (b) runway
markings to highlight the distinction between general purpose lanes and BRT lanes.
However, the existence of basic facilities in BRT runway can help to set stage for
successful BRT operation.
Running ways should ensure rapid and reliable movement of buses with
minimum traffic interference which render unique identity and assure efficient
performance (Miller, 2009). In this regard, physical barrier is warranted in BRT
runway. Landscaping, metal fencing, separating curbs etc. can be used to provide
physical separation between BRT runway and non-BRT carriageway. However,
provision should be available for emergency exit of buses that suddenly stop
functioning. Again, other necessities like simple maintenance and enforcement,
pedestrian safety etc. should be taken into consideration for designing lane separating
structure (Arias et al., 2007).
Due to the fact that heavy loaded buses will move through the runway,
provision of improved surface material demands special consideration. The
appropriate runway surface material to sustain these heavy loads and specific design
method for this purpose may vary from country to country. Unlike the overall
runway, the deterioration of surface material in station and adjacent area is most
critical as acceleration, deceleration of vehicle in this area increases the force on
roadway surface and road bed. As a result, application of concrete instead of asphalt
is more advised which provide higher longevity (Arias et al., 2007).

2
 Station in a public transportation system is used as an interface between
passenger and transit vehicle. Hence it is essential for these facilities to be
convenient, comfortable, safe and easily accessible for passengers, supporting a
strong identity of the system thereby enhancing the surrounding area context. Based
on location, station can either be curb side or median type. Passenger access to the
station depends upon the location of the station. Constructions of special
infrastructures, such as: foot over bridge, underpass etc., are sometimes warranted for
median type stations. In developing cities, may be 6000 passenger board or alight at
a busy bus stop. Although it is suggested that station spacing should be in the range
of 400-500 meter (APTA, 2010), it should also consider density of passenger
demand, locations of large traffic generators, road geometries, availability of land,
level of service required etc. The BRT station should portray a standard design
giving due attention to supporting design issues such as passenger amenities,
information, safety and security, climatic protection, pre-board fare collection etc.
(CEPTU, 2005). These suggest that, one of the important role BRT station is to
support an appealing, cohesive visual identity for a quality and safe transit service.
Vehicles used in BRT have strong influence on overall performance of the
system, from ridership attraction to maintenance costs. To provide a distinct
appearance and to create a unique identity, normally specialized vehicles are used for
BRT system. Depending upon number of regulating factors, such as: travel demand,
vehicle capacity, access facility, floor type, fuel and propulsion system, vehicle
guidance etc., various type of vehicle is available for use which may include-
standard bus, articulated bus, double decker bus etc.(CEPTU, 2005). Again,
propulsion system choice for certain type of vehicle depends on performance
indicators like top speed, engine, grade ability, transmission, and propeller shafts etc.
Choice of BRT vehicle technology should also consider environment friendliness in
terms of noise and air pollution as well as roadway surface deterioration. However,
in most cases for developing cities, the choice of vehicle and vehicle technology is
limited by governing legislation and economic evaluation of alternatives.
To put it briefly, every system has some basic components to build the
skeleton of that system, without these components a system become some facilities
without definite goal. The components mentioned above are the basic elements of a
BRT system. Collective effort of these components with the provision of some
important ancillary facilities, such as- fare collection system, intelligent
transportation system etc., can establish a successful and physically sound BRT
system.

3. CURRENT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM OF DHAKA

Dhaka is one of the densely populated cities around the world. Like Dhaka,
only seven cities experienced urban population growth higher than 2.4% between
1975-2005 (UN, 2006). In general, rapid growth, low incomes, and extreme
inequality are among the fundamental reasons of transport problems in Dhaka,
similar to every other megacity of developing countries (Pucher et al., 2005). In an
ideal city, 25% of the surface area should be used for constructing roads and lanes,
(Hossain, 2006) but Dhaka has only 8% (DCC, 2002). Moreover, like most of the

3
developing cities, Dhaka’s road network hierarchy is poorly defined, with very
limited number of arterial and main roads. The prevailing situation is even worse
when taken into account the fact that, this inadequate road space is shared by both
motorized and non-motorized traffic (heterogeneous traffic mix) and vehicles with
varying characteristics (e.g. three-wheelers, human haulers, pickups, vans etc.).
Some striking features found from the survey conducted for ‘Clean Air and
Sustainable Environment’ (CASE) project can be acknowledged as (Devcon, 2009):
• Buses comprise 9.7% of the vehicle mix that combines all vehicles and
pedestrians;
• Rickshaws and vans comprise 28.4% of all vehicles;
• Auto-rickshaws (with 36.8%) and Cars/Light Vehicles (with 43%) comprise a
substantial proportion of all motorized vehicles (2-stroke three wheelers);
• Whereas buses comprise a small proportion (9.7%) of the mix, bus passengers
account for 77% of all people.
From Dhaka Urban Transport Network Development Study it was found that, the
low income group is responsible for the major share of trips on foot (73%) while
most of the rickshaw trips are made by the middle income group (59%) (DTCA,
2010). These two income groups are also main users of available transit services in
Dhaka. The significance of walk, rickshaw and transit trips is obvious as they cater
for 97% of the city dwellers. Unsurprisingly, very few of the lower income people
(e.g. day laborers, garments workers etc.) can afford the fares on buses although they
are quite low and most of their trips are short. Thus, they are forced to travel on foot,
suffering ever-lower levels of mobility and accessibility.
The rapid urbanization process, poor transportation facilities and policies,
varied traffic mix with over concentration of non-motorized vehicles, absence of
dependable public transport system and inadequate traffic management practices
have created a situation where cars and motorcycles are becoming increasingly
necessity for the middle class, to get around in the metropolitan Dhaka. As a result,
further congesting the roads and worsening air pollution, noise, and safety problems.
The number of registered motorized vehicle stands at 7, 08,197 in June, 2012
increasing from 3, 03,215 in 2003 (more than 200% increase in less than 9 years)
(BRTA, 2012). The alarming trend shows that, the total number of buses remains
almost same in this 9 year period, private vehicles, particularly, number of cars and
motorcycles more than doubled. Public transport such as buses and minibuses has
grown at a very insignificant rate even though the demand for public transport
services has increased noticeably. On the contrary, Motorcycles, cars and jeeps/
station wagons constitute around 42%, 25% and 10% of total motorized vehicles
respectively. There are 11,060 buses and 8,583 minibuses registered (as of June,
2012) which represent only about 3% of total motorized traffic. Though the number
of large buses remained nearly constant, the share of bus fleet has been in fact
declining, due to decrease in number of minibuses (BRTA, 2012).
To improve the current situation and reorganize the existing traffic system
methodically, the government prepared the Strategic Transport Plan (STP) for Dhaka
which recommended a package of comprehensive programs for the development of
transport infrastructure over 20 year period. This strategy includes various types of
development agenda, such as three Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) routes (Line 1, Line 2,

4
and Line 3), three Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) (Metrorail) routes (Line 4, Line 5, and
Line 6), 50 highway projects etc. The implementation program has been divided into
four periods of five years each; beginning in 2005 and ending in 2024 (Louis Berger
Group and BCL, 2005).

4. CONCEPTUAL PHYSICAL DESIGN OF BRT LINE-3

The BRT line-3 will start from Uttara and end in Phoenix Road (Ramna),
covering around 18.5 Km. As the roads of old Dhaka (Allauddin Road, Bangshal
Road, etc.) are too narrow to operate BRT, feeder service with small buses will be
introduced which will provide service from Sadarghat to Phoenix Road integrating
the Sadarghat river terminal with the BRT. So, the international airport as well as
railway station situated at Uttara will be connected with Sadarghat river terminal by
BRT line 3, hence the development of an integrated transportation system will be
accomplished.

45000
Peak Hour BRT Demand, pphpd

40000
35000
30000
25000
20000
15000
10000
5000
0
Azampur Khilkhet Kakoli Mohakhali Tezgaon Mogbazar
2013 25918 34369 29438 23002 11948 13476
2020 31876 42270 36205 28289 14694 16574

Figure 1: Peak Hour BRT Demand for 2013 and 2020 (To City)

35000
Peak Hour BRT Demand,

30000
25000
pphpd

20000
15000
10000
5000
0
Azampur Khilkhet Kakoli Mohakhali Tezgaon Mogbazar
2013 22721 27658 21799 25882 12956 2616
2020 27944 34016 26809 31831 15934 3218

Figure 2: Peak Hour BRT Demand for 2013 and 2020 (From City)

For estimating the demand of BRT trips, it is considered that the existing
buses and para transits are not allowed to operate on the route after opening the BRT.

5
As a result, all the buses and para-transit passengers will be compelled to shift to
BRT. As the non BRT mixed traffic lanes will be free from bus and other para-transit
services, it will increase the speed of cars. Due to increase of speed of car, there will
be only little modal shifting from the private car to BRT. However, 5% of modal
shift from car to BRT is considered under normal pricing policy. In addition, as
passengers will be attracted by new BRT service, there will be 7% annual growth
rate (close to expected GDP growth rate) in demand over the year 2013. Later, until
the year 2020, it is assumed that the annual growth rate will be reduced to 3%
(Devcon, 2009). Peak hour BRT passengers’ demand estimated for different segment
for 2013 and 2020 (to city and from city) is illustrated in Figure 1 and Figure 2. As
the BRT line-1 and BRT line-3 will share the same station, it is noticeable that the
demand at Azampur and Khilkhet is very high considering the other location. BRT
line-1 and Line-3 will split at Kuril. The peak hour demand will be less at
Moghbazar and Tezgaon with respect to other location. BRT line-3 will commence
from Abdullahpur (Uttara) and end in Ramna with an anticlockwise loop. There will
be six main stations (Azampur, Khilkhet, Kakoli, Mohakhali, Tezgaon, and
Moghbazar), two terminal stations (Abdullahpur and Ramna) and atleast two sub-
stations between two consecutive main stations. The main physical features are
illustrated below which are described in a way to satisfy the projected demand of
2020.

4.1 Runway and Pavement Material

The construction of bus way will typically represent approximately 50% of
the total infrastructure costs. Lower quality road materials may reduce capital costs
but will drastically increase the maintenance costs if roadways need repaving or
reconstruction after just a few years of construction. As demand is too high,
articulated or double decker bus with high passenger capacity (140-160 passengers)
will be selected which will create huge moving loads on the pavement. So instead of
flexible pavement, rigid pavement will be a suitable option in the context of
longevity, maintenance cost and load bearing capacity. Conversely, flexible
pavement often requires resurfacing as often as every two years in tropical climates
like Bangladesh. Since bus way does not require the vehicle lane changes, center of
the lane which is not used by the wheel, will not be paved. However, in the station
and intersection, there will be paving in the middle of the road. Grass will be planted
in the centre of the road which can absorb noise up to 40 percent (Ceser [Link]., 2007).

4.2 Lane Separation

A steel grill, wall or large landscaped median will provide the most complete
protection for the bus way. But when the bus will face operational difficulties and
stuck in the middle of the lane blocking the whole BRT lane, cannot leave the
corridor for these kinds of facilities. For Uttara-Ramna, BRT lane will be separated
by curb separator. The curbing material will be rounded on the bus way side but
forms a sharp edge on the mixed traffic lane side. This curb separator will be high
enough to dissuade private vehicles to enter in the BRT lane but low enough to allow
buses to leave safely the bus way to avoid being blocked.

6
4.3 Station design
Station Platform Length: Stations will be located at the midsection of the road. So a
pedestrian underpass or overpass (foot over bridge) will be provided to the
passengers for a safe accessibility from the sidewalk. For the main stations there will
be two stopping bays. Nineteen meter will be provided for extra vehicle in queue and
fourteen meter will be provided for overtaking purpose. Each bay will be nineteen
meter of length.
ℎ = (19 ∗ + 19 + 14 )
= 19 ∗ 2 + 19 + 14
= 71
Station Platform Width: Design of a station platform width for six main stations
depends on the demand of that particular location. The station will be used for both
directional (to city and from city) passengers. The widths of the platform are
determined, based on the peak hour passenger demand for the year 2020 (Figure 1
and Figure 2). A brief description of equations and different variable used for
calculating the station platform width is given below (Ceser [Link]., 2007).
= 1+ + + ⋯ ⋯ ⋯ ⋯ ⋯ ⋯ (1)
Where,
Wp = Total platform width
1 meter = Width required for infrastructure
Wu = Width required for waiting passengers one direction
Wc = Width required for circulating passengers
= Pph / 2000 passengers
Pph = Number of circulating passengers expected per hour
= 2000 passengers / h (assume)
Wopp = Width required for passengers waiting for vehicles going in other
direction.
= / ⋯ ⋯ ⋯ ⋯ ⋯ ⋯ ⋯ ⋯ (2)
Where,
Aw = Minimum area required for waiting passengers
Qp = Maximum number of passengers projected to queue
Dwmax = Capacity of a square meter to hold waiting passengers
= 3 passengers / m2
= ( / )

Where,
PBi = Passengers boarding per hour on BRT route i (i=1 as there is only one route)
Fi = Frequency (BRT vehicles / hour) of line i
Pbbi = Average Number of passengers boarding per BRT vehicle on route i.
= ∗ … … … … … … … … (3)
= ∗ … … … … … … … (4)
Where,
Lb = Platform Length (m)

7
From equation (3), for Lb = 71 meter, Wu can be determined. By using equation (1),
(2), (3) and (4) for different Qp, width of BRT stations platform and other variables
of different locations has been determined. Different variable for six stations are
tabulated in Table 1 and the typical cross section of Mohakhali and Tezgaon stations
are illustrated in Figure 3.
Table 1: Different Station Platform Variables and Width
Station Wopp Platform width, Design Width
Wu (m) Wc (m)
Location (m) Wp (m) (m)
Azampur 1.2488 1 1.093 4.342 4.4
Khilkhet 1.657 1 1.33 4.987 5
Kakoli 1.42 1 1.0516 4.472 4.5
Mohakhali 1.107 1 1.248 4.355 4.4
Tezgaon 0.64788 1 0.624 3.272 3.3
Moghbazar 0.6525 1 0.1267 2.779 3

4.4 Corridor Configuration:

In the BRT station location a 2+2 lane will be provided for overtaking
purpose. In the midblock section BRT will operate in 1+1 lane. 3+3 lane will be
provided for the mix traffic (if available), otherwise 2+2 lane will be provided for
mixed traffic. Three meter sidewalk will be provided for the pedestrian. Table 2
illustrates the roadway configuration and present right of way of the BRT route.

Table 2: Corridor Configuration and Right of Way (ROW)

Mixed Side Station Lane Present
Station BRT Required
Traffic walk Width Separator ROW
Location Lane ROW (m)
Lane (m) (m) (m) (m)
Azampur 2+2 2+2 3 4.4 0.5 38.4 42
Khilkhet 2+2 2+2 3 5 0.5 39 42
Kakoli 2+2 2+2 3 4.5 0.5 38.5 46
Mohakhali 2+2 2+2 3 4.4 0.5 38.4 46
Tezgaon 2+2 2+2 3 3.3 0.5 37.2 30
Moghbazar 2+2 2+2 3 3 0.5 37 27-35

5. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION:

The physical features are designed based on the projected BRT passenger
demand for the year 2020. In most of the station locations, the required right of way
(ROW) for BRT is less than the present ROW. So the BRT system can be
implemented without further modification in the road geometry. However, at
Tezgaon and Moghbazar, the required ROW is greater than the present ROW, land
acquisition will be required on that particular locations. In the midblock section the
required ROW is 33.7 m. So land acquisition will be required not only for the station
location but also for the midblock section at Moghbazar. Furthermore, BRT-1 will
share the station at Azampur and Khilkhet, consequently the station width will be

8
quite wide (4.4 m and 5.0 m respectively). In addition, some physical constraint such
as Mohakhali flyover, proposed Moghbazar flyover, level crossing which must be
taken into account while designing such BRT route. These physical constraints in
this route, are not discuss in these limited scope of the study.
The results presented in this paper are based on the dataset of screen line
survey and conceptual design. The actual forecasted demand can be estimated from
origin destination survey data and O-D matrix. Further research with origin
destination survey dataset and matrix is required to confirm the paper's findings. The
work in this paper could be extended to in depth detail analysis of the physical
features using proper dataset and considering the physical constraint in this route.
From this study, developing countries as well as cities having high passenger demand
like Dhaka, can get a preliminary overview of the issues and physical features which
must be considered while constructing BRT.

Figure 3: Typical Cross Section of the Stations

6. CONCLUSION
Gradual deterioration of level of service of public transport system,
increasing private car ownership, lack of effective road width and transport
infrastructure, create acute intolerable congestion in Dhaka. Without proper
augmentation and effective use of public transport system, the scenario will become
worsen day by day. For proper modal shifting, it is high time to introduce public
transport ensuring reliability, accessibility, comfort, safety and economic viability. In
these circumstances, BRT is one of the most effective short term solutions because of

9
its high capacity as well as relatively low construction and operating cost.
Implementation of BRT within current roadway infrastructure is a key issue in terms
of right of way availability, station location, land availability for the terminal and
accessibility to the station. Apparently it seems quite complicated to implement BRT
within the current road infrastructure. Nevertheless, the results of this paper provide
strong evidence that the BRT line-3 can be implemented within the available right of
way without doing major modification to the current road geometry. However, in
some places some land acquisitions are needed for the successful implementation of
BRT.

REFERENCES

APTA (2010), "Bus Rapid Transit Service Design: Recommended Practise",

American Public Transportation Association (APTA) Standards
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Arias, C. et al. (2007), "Bus Rapid Transit Planning Guide", The William and Flora
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Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) (2012), "Number of Year wise
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 Hossain, M. (2006), "The Issues and Realities of BRT Planning Initiating in
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