The Chittagong Monorail, officially the Chattogram Monorail (), was a proposed monorail system intended to serve Chittagong and its adjoining areas. Initially conceived to ease the ever-growing traffic congestion in the port city, the project was planned to operate as a mass rapid transit system but has since been cancelled.
A transport feasibility study for a Chittagong Metro Rail transit system initially began in January 2023 and was expected to conclude by June 2025.Example Citation Needed Following a subsequent pivot to a monorail system, the project was officially scrapped in June 2026. The Chattogram City Corporation (CCC) revoked all project agreements after a diplomatic and corporate investigation revealed that the individual who signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was a fraudulent representative lacking legal authorization from the participating international consortium. Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority is currently evaluating the suitable transport system for the city.
History Feasibility study and initial proposals The "Transport Masterplan and Preliminary Feasibility Study for Urban Metrorail Transit Construction in Chittagong Metropolitan Area (CMA)" was approved by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) on 22 November 2022.Example Citation Needed The study was officially inaugurated in January 2023 at the Radisson Blu Bay View in Chittagong by the then Minister of Road Transport and Bridges, Obaidul Quader.Example Citation Needed Although both China and South Korea expressed intent to invest in the project, authorities decided to partner with South Korea, with the study funded by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).Example Citation Needed The total cost of the master plan was set at crore, with the Government of Bangladesh providing crore and KOICA contributing crore.Example Citation Needed
The plans faced opposition from the Forum for Planned Chattogram (FPC), which directly opposed the construction of a conventional metro rail service in the city. Citing urban research, the FPC recommended a bus rapid transit (BRT) system as a more financially viable alternative, raising concerns about project sustainability and the allocation of state resources amid the nation's foreign-currency crisis.Example Citation Needed
Monorail pivot and cancellation On 1 June 2025, the interim government announced a shift in strategy, proposing a monorail system for the city instead of a standard metro rail.Example Citation Needed A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed the same day at the World Trade Center Chittagong in Agrabad. The preliminary agreement was established between the Chittagong City Corporation (CCC) and the "Arab Contractors Orascom Peninsula Consortium," a joint venture involving Orascom Construction and The Arab Contractors, both of which are prominent Egyptian engineering and construction multinationals.Example Citation Needed
The project was officially cancelled on 24 June 2026. Following an investigation supported by the Egyptian Embassy in Dhaka, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA), it was discovered that the individual who executed the agreement on behalf of the consortium was a fraudulent representative acting without corporate authorization or valid legal backing. As the agreement was deemed legally null, CCC Mayor Dr. Shahadat Hossain issued an official office order scrapping all agreements for the proposed crore infrastructure development.
Proposed routes Prior to the project's cancellation, a preliminary framework outlined a network spanning approximately 54.5 kilometres across three primary routes: Line 1: Spanning 26.5 kilometres from Kalurghat to Shah Amanat International Airport via Bahaddarhat, Chawkbazar, Lalkhan Bazar, Dewanhat, and Patenga. Line 2: Spanning 13.5 kilometres from City Gate to Shaheed Bashiruzzaman Square via A.K. Khan, Nimtali, Sadarghat, and Firingi Bazar. Line 3: Spanning 14.5 kilometres from Oxygen, connecting key central commercial districts of the port city.
See also Dhaka Metro Rail Chittagong Circular Railway Bangladesh Railway Chittagong Elevated Expressway DHK-CTG Bullet Train Dhaka Subway Dhaka Bus Rapid Transit (Dhaka Line)
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