Sultan
May 5th, 2005, 07:41 AM
PAKISTAN: Malaysian firm to get Lahore Monorail job
LAHORE, 5 MAY: A Malaysian firm is likely to be awarded a lucrative contract to build and operate a monorail transport network in Lahore, Pakistan’s second largest city, valued at about US$500mil (RM1.92bil), the project would be the second of its kind in Pakistan, along with the Karachi Mass Transit Project.
Three or four Malaysian firms and a company from China had bid for the project, Punjab Chief Minister Pervez Elahi said, adding that one of the Malaysian entities was likely to be successful.
“Your companies have participated in the feasibility report. The project will likely be awarded to you,” he said in an interview at his office.
He did not identify the Malaysian companies involved, but MTrans Holdings Sdn Bhd is said to be in the best position.
MTrans is the holding company of various urban transit solution companies, including monorail operator KL Infrastructure Group Bhd (KLIG) and Monorail Malaysia Technology Sdn Bhd (MMT).
MTrans is also one of only three urban transit monorail manufacturers in the world, with the others being Hitachi Ltd of Japan, and Bombardier Inc of Canada.
“Malaysia has the edge due to its technical expertise in the urban mass transit transport field, and you have a very good chance,” Elahi said.
Elahi said the monorail project, planned in Lahore’s city centre, was scheduled to be launched this year under the BOT (build, operate and transfer) concept.
The project was crucial as the city of seven million people was facing severe traffic congestion, he added.
He said Malaysian firms were known for their good track record in construction.
Elahi said among the projects available were a ring road for Lahore city, valued at 18 billion Pakistani rupees.
“We also need to build many inter-district roads within Punjab. There are a lot of activities going on and I would like to invite Malaysian companies to bid for these projects,” he added.
He said there were also opportunities for Malaysian construction firms in the housing sector, as the Punjab Government had decided to build homes for its more than 1 million government employees.
“This is a scheme for everybody in the government service, from the peon up to the chief secretary.
“Workers in the lower categories will be provided with flats while those in the higher brackets will be given three-room houses,” Elahi said, adding that an area had been identified in Faisalabad for the scheme’s second project.
The bulk of the homes needed were low- and medium-cost units, he said, adding that at least 300,000 units were required in the short term.
Elahi also said the Punjab Government was opening up new industrial areas, with free land to be offered to companies investing over US$20mil.
http://www.urbanpakistan.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=400&mode=&order=0&thold=0
LAHORE, 5 MAY: A Malaysian firm is likely to be awarded a lucrative contract to build and operate a monorail transport network in Lahore, Pakistan’s second largest city, valued at about US$500mil (RM1.92bil), the project would be the second of its kind in Pakistan, along with the Karachi Mass Transit Project.
Three or four Malaysian firms and a company from China had bid for the project, Punjab Chief Minister Pervez Elahi said, adding that one of the Malaysian entities was likely to be successful.
“Your companies have participated in the feasibility report. The project will likely be awarded to you,” he said in an interview at his office.
He did not identify the Malaysian companies involved, but MTrans Holdings Sdn Bhd is said to be in the best position.
MTrans is the holding company of various urban transit solution companies, including monorail operator KL Infrastructure Group Bhd (KLIG) and Monorail Malaysia Technology Sdn Bhd (MMT).
MTrans is also one of only three urban transit monorail manufacturers in the world, with the others being Hitachi Ltd of Japan, and Bombardier Inc of Canada.
“Malaysia has the edge due to its technical expertise in the urban mass transit transport field, and you have a very good chance,” Elahi said.
Elahi said the monorail project, planned in Lahore’s city centre, was scheduled to be launched this year under the BOT (build, operate and transfer) concept.
The project was crucial as the city of seven million people was facing severe traffic congestion, he added.
He said Malaysian firms were known for their good track record in construction.
Elahi said among the projects available were a ring road for Lahore city, valued at 18 billion Pakistani rupees.
“We also need to build many inter-district roads within Punjab. There are a lot of activities going on and I would like to invite Malaysian companies to bid for these projects,” he added.
He said there were also opportunities for Malaysian construction firms in the housing sector, as the Punjab Government had decided to build homes for its more than 1 million government employees.
“This is a scheme for everybody in the government service, from the peon up to the chief secretary.
“Workers in the lower categories will be provided with flats while those in the higher brackets will be given three-room houses,” Elahi said, adding that an area had been identified in Faisalabad for the scheme’s second project.
The bulk of the homes needed were low- and medium-cost units, he said, adding that at least 300,000 units were required in the short term.
Elahi also said the Punjab Government was opening up new industrial areas, with free land to be offered to companies investing over US$20mil.
http://www.urbanpakistan.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=400&mode=&order=0&thold=0