From hours to minutes: The Padma Bridge way

Infographic: TBS

The Padma River, flowing around for 356 kilometres to its confluence with the Meghna River near the Bay of Bengal, stood as an imposing frontier, leaving 21 districts unconnected from the capital Dhaka.

Reaching any of those districts involved an arduous trip by launch, ferry or boat – which would often take up to 10 hours, even 20 on a bad day.

Then came a dream which was delivered: the equally imposing Padma Bridge, a stretch of around six kilometres, was built, conquering one of the last remaining frontiers in the country.  

Ikteda Hasan, a resident of Jhalkathi, who works in Dhaka, said the bridge means more than just a beacon of Bangladesh's burgeoning development. 

For him, it means home being closer than ever before.

"Before the bridge was opened, I would usually go to my village every Eid holiday or so. It would take 7-8 hours by launch and the fare was also very high. Now I can go within just four hours and it only costs me Tk500-600," he said.

Just ahead of Eid, the significance of the Padma Bridge, apart from its economic value, becomes even more visible. It's the people's bridge, after all.

A struggle almost forgotten

Transportation officials in the south region emphasised that there had been no alternatives to ferries when travelling to the region.

But even ferries weren't a surefire mode of transport. There was no fixed time for how long someone would have to sit at the wharf. 

A disturbed river or thick fog could both mean delays, which could go up to even 18-20 hours.

As the pressure of vehicles and passengers grew, so did the waiting time.

After boarding the ferry, it took more than two hours to cross the Padma river through Mawa in Munshiganj, while it took a few hours to reach Aricha. 

For some, even the journey by the river came with breaks. Take the ferry, launch or speedboat, dock and then get on a bus to reach Dhaka.

But this is no longer the case.

Chuadanga businessman Asif Rahman said he has to travel to Dhaka regularly for various purposes including business. "There was no certainty when I would reach Dhaka. Now I can reach by morning, finish work and return home at night," he said.

Transport officials said after the opening of the bridge, passengers are travelling directly in long-distance buses. 

This in turn has increased the income of transport companies, said Rafiqul Islam, counter master of Sakura Transport.

Buses also can drive at a relaxed pace, with no more mad races for ferry passengers, resulting in fewer accidents, he said.

More money, less problems

Since the opening of the Padma Bridge, transport services have grown along the 21 districts in the southwestern region, keeping pace with the increase in passengers. 

New buses are being added to the fleet on the route. Alongside regular buses, luxury ones are also making their mark.

During the last year, over 1,000 buses have been added to the fleet, according to a rough estimate by a transport leader.

Advocate Mahbubur Rahman, vice-president of the Bangladesh Road Transport Owner Association, said, "We have not yet been able to calculate the total number of vehicles since after the Padma bridge was built. We are collecting the data. It will take time to complete."

He, however, added that the total number of new buses would not be less than 1,000, including regular buses, AC and luxury ones. He estimated the investment to be at least Tk600 crore.

Rahman also estimated that around 500 trips are taken to the southwestern districts currently, which was not more than 150 before. 

A riverine transformation

While the Padma Bridge has given a boost to the road transport sector, it has had the opposite effect on waterways.

After the launch of the Padma Bridge, there has been a glaring shortage of passengers for launches and ferries.

Sadarghat in the capital, which sees overwhelming numbers before every Eid, was largely empty on Sunday. 

Although many vessels were docked, there was hardly any rush of passengers. 

According to the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA), the number of passengers by sea has decreased by 23-25%. 

Waterways transport owners, however, claim the fall has been around 50%. 

During the 12 months of the Padma Bridge operations, the number of private launch trips from Dhaka to southern routes has reduced by almost half.

Shahidul Islam, senior vice president of the Bangladesh Launch Owners Association, and owner of Parabat Launch, said there are 18 launch route permits on the Dhaka-Barishal route. 

Some 8-9 launches are expected to leave Dhaka for Barishal every day and the same number of launches are expected to arrive at the capital from Barishal. 

But due to a lack of passengers, 3-4 launches are plying daily. The rest are sitting without getting a trip.