The government has started work to develop the country’s first-ever integrated national transport master plan and final map by December, aiming to bring all modes of communication under a single coordinated framework, said Sheikh Moinuddin, Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser on Road Transport, Bridges and Railways.
Bangladesh's transport sector master plan is a multi-modal strategy focusing on developing and integrating road, railway and water transport to support economic growth, improve efficiency and enhance safety.
Its key components include expanding railway networks, modernising ports and waterways, and improving the road network with new infrastructure and better traffic management.
The plans also emphasise sustainability through initiatives like promoting public transport and green vehicles, and are supported by large-scale investments, particularly in projects like the Revised Strategic Transport Plan for Dhaka and the 30-year Railway Master Plan.
“We have already started preparing the national map. InshaAllah, by December we will be able to complete both the final map and the master plan. The goal is to complete and leave behind this master plan within the tenure of the current government,” Moinuddin said in a recent interview with UNB.
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He said the plan is being designed in such a way that any future government can continue its development activities based on it.
“This will ensure that long-term transport and infrastructure development follow a consistent framework,” he added.
Moinuddin said the integrated master plan will combine all modes of transport — road, rail, aviation and waterways — for the first time in Bangladesh.
“Every developed country has an integrated master plan which we lacked so far. We are now fixing that gap,” he added.
The special assistant said the plan will simplify the country’s logistics and supply systems including transportation of goods from ports and economic zones. “For instance, agricultural products in the northern districts often get wasted due to transport bottlenecks. The master plan will help solve such issues,” he said.
Bangladesh is working with the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to implement the master plan, he said.
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“We are conducting the feasibility study ourselves but both the World Bank and ADB will provide technical support and international expertise,” Sheikh Moinuddin said.
He said while local experts understand the domestic context well foreign specialists bring valuable international experience. “One professor from IUB is already working with us but we plan to include experts from abroad to improve the plan’s quality,” he added.
Sheikh Moinuddin said it aims to accelerate balanced development in all districts. “Transportation will be the key driver for developing economically lagging regions. Once connectivity improves, industrial and economic growth will naturally follow,” he said.
“Bangladesh’s transport system remains largely Dhaka-centric and our objective is to strengthen inter-district connectivity so that national development no longer revolves solely around the capital,” he said.
Bangladesh’s transport and logistics sectors have been suffering from fragmented planning, poor inter-agency coordination, and a concentration of infrastructure around Dhaka.
Successive governments have launched projects focusing on roads, bridges, and railways, but without an all-encompassing national framework.
Officials said the new integrated master plan backed by global lenders is expected ensurined balanced regional development and long-term sustainability.