Transportation

Air

By air Bangladesh can be reached from any part of the world. Biman Bangladesh airlines is the national air service authority that connects Dhaka, Chittagong and Sylhet with 28 major cities of the world.  International carriers like British Airways, Thai Airways, Saudia, Kuwait Airways, Singapore Airlines, PIA, Cathy Pacific, Indian Airlines, Emirates, Gulf Air, Aeroflot, Myanmar Airways, Royal Nepal Airlines, Uzbek Airways, Qatar Airways, Oman Air and Malaysian Airlines fly to and from Dhaka . Biman Bangladesh airlines also operates domestic route services. Presently private sector airlines are also operating in domestic routs.

Airports: 16 (1998 est.)

Airports—with paved runways:
total: 15
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 7 (1998 est.)

Airports—with unpaved runways:
total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (1998 est.)

Bus/Coach Services

Road transport in Bangladesh is a private sector affair operating predominantly in domestic routes. Rates are among the cheapest in the world. Express and non stop services are available to  principal towns from Gabtoli, Saidabad and Mohakhai bus terminals in Dhaka. The Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) also maintains a countrywide network of bus services. Recently they have introduced Dhaka - Calcutta - Dhaka direct daily bus services via Benapole, Jessore. 

Highways:
total: 204,022 km
paved: 25,095 km
unpaved: 178,927 km (1996 est.)

Railway

Nationally operated Bangladesh Railway provides an efficient service throughout Bangladesh. The inter city Express Service is available to and from important cities if in all. Local trains serve in cheaper rates.

Railways:
total: 2,745 km
broad gauge: 923 km 1.676-m gauge
narrow gauge: 1,822 km 1.000-m gauge (1998 est.)

Waterways   

The landscape of Bangladesh is dominated by about 250 rivers providing over 5,000 miles [8,000 km) of navigable waterways. Country-made boats are the most widely used carrier one can see in the rivers and rivulets. They carry passengers and merchandise on a large scale.   Mechanized Water transport is mainly operated by the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC), which run  ferry and launch services on the main routes. There are also water transport services run by private companies. 

Waterways: 5,150-8,046 km navigable waterways (includes 2,575-3,058 km main cargo routes)
Ports and harbors: Chittagong, Dhaka, Mongla Port
Merchant marine:
total: 40 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 315,855 GRT/453,002 DWT
ships by type: bulk 2, cargo 33, oil tanker 2, refrigerated cargo 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 2 (1998 est.)

Car Rental

Private car hire service is available in Dhaka and some other major cities. Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation (BPC), a government organization, has a fleet of air-conditioned and non air-conditioned cars, microbuses and jeeps. Besides they offer transfer service for tourists between Dhaka airport and main city points or hotels. 

Posted in: Bangladesh Overview