Transportation - Urban, inter-city, subways [Archive]

JADI

April 25th, 2005, 10:49 AM

KARACHI: Nazim offers concessions to transport firms: New CNG buses launched

http://www.dawn.com/2005/04/25/images/local1.jpg

KARACHI, April 24: Mentioning that Karachi required 10,000 environment-friendly CNG buses, City Nazim Niamatullah Khan said all possible facilities would be provided to companies and transporters bringing in these buses. He allured transport companies of considering giving them exemptions from import duty and offering concessions.

Mr Niamat said this as the chief guest at the inauguration ceremony of new CNG buses of Euro-2 and Euro-3 technology of the Home Land Transport Company on Sunday.

He also launched nine new CNG buses at the Khalid Bin Walid Road, later driving in one such bus through various city roads. Each of these buses has a capacity of 70 passengers.

The inaugural function was also attended by Chinese Commercial Consul Zhao Qing Mao, Chief Executive of the concerned transport company Nazir Haji Usman, DO Public Transport and Management Operation Mohammed Athar, Adviser to City Nazim Mohammed Tufail, Secretary RTA Shamim Akhtar and officials of the transport department besides transporters.

Mr Niamat pointed out that environmental- and noise pollutions were growing in Karachi, giving rise to diseases, while mentioning that 15-20 years old buses were running on the city roads.

Citing the example of a decision given by the Delhi High Court, as a result of which CNG-operated buses and rickshaws were now running there, he said: “There is a need to take such a decision in Karachi as well.”

He observed that large scale violations were being committed in the transport sector, referring to the playing of songs in buses, minibuses and coaches; men travelling in women’s compartments; open doors; and other irregularities, adding that many problems were confronted in the process of checking these.

He said the city government had introduced the Urban Transport Scheme and gave concessions and incentives to transporters, but not too many CNG buses were brought on roads.

He also called for an effective system of importing spare parts of CNG buses.

Mr Niamat said in order to provide better commuting facilities, the city government was also bringing in the mass transit system side by side the Karachi circular railway.

He suggested Chinese companies to consider running CNG buses in Karachi, saying they would be given due concessions.

The nazim said the city government would also examine offers for running 10,000 CNG buses in Karachi on built, operate, own (BOO), and built, operate, transfer (BOT) bases.

Zhao Qing, the Chinese Commercial Consul, hoped that Chinese CNG buses would be operated in Karachi in the future.

Nazir Haji Usman on the occasion said the new buses would provide relief to people.

Speakers also called for doing away with the import duty and tax on new CNG buses.

LIONS’ ENCLAVE: The City Nazim, Niamatullah Khan, laid the foundation stone for a lion enclave at the Safari Park on Saturday night. Covering an area of four acres, the enclave will house three pairs of lions and would be completed in six months at a cost of Rs10 million.

Competitions of qirat, naat and colouring of picture sketches were also held among children on the occasion.

A large number of children and their parents drove in coaches through the open area where some 600 species of animals are living in an open environment.

The children saw animals and birds and filled colours in their picture sketches. Mr Niamat later distributed prizes among the children.

The children presented the nazim with a bouquet.—APP

April 25th, 2005, 11:47 AM

Yep just saw it in the newspaper.

Good decision, the Home Land Transport Co. has its Showroom/Display on Khalid-Bin-Waleed Rd. aswell.

One route i'd like the City Govt. to include is possibly from Hasan Sq.-Shaheed Millat RD-Hill Park and then straight onto Defence (Korangi RD.) Im pretty sure it'll help commuters from both Gulshan and Defence to move quickly.

UnitedPakistan

April 25th, 2005, 03:43 PM

I think they should paint it dark green btw that doesnt matter.

It looks like a Dawoo bus to me for some reason

pakboy

May 3rd, 2005, 11:05 PM

so wat happened to the green bus wat were introduced a couple of years ago.

and they also need to replace the dawoo buses in lahore, they sux.

UnitedPakistan

May 3rd, 2005, 11:41 PM

Dawoo in Lahore is fine dont touch them lol!

They have live Sat feed for everyone in the bus!

Beats anything the US has got

pakboy

May 5th, 2005, 03:58 AM

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.

singaporean

February 23rd, 2006, 10:49 AM

Bus service to Afghanistan planned

ISLAMABAD, Feb 22: Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed in principle on Wednesday to start a cross-border bus service with trial runs beginning next month, officials said.

Transport officials from both countries may sign a formal agreement on Thursday, said Firdus Alam, a senior official from the communication ministry.

The bus service will link Peshawar with Jalalabad, the capital of Afghanistan’s eastern Nangarhar province.

The service is scheduled to start on March 20, said Mohammed Hashim Waiz, the head of the Afghan delegation at the talks.

The two countries will discuss starting another bus service between Quetta and Kandahar in southern Afghanistan after looking at the outcome of the Peshawar-Jalalabad route, Mr Alam said.

Pakistan is home to millions of Afghan refugees, and illegal border crossings are common.—AP

http://www.dawn.com/2006/02/23/top18.htm

Gumnaam

February 23rd, 2006, 11:16 AM

^^ Good news! :okay: :dj:

We need to dig further in and establish strong trading relationships with Central Asia!

..and we also need to start the bus service between the major cities near Pak-Iran border and also revive the brotherly relations between us that we had in the past.. :) (Iran was the 1st country to recognize Pakistan after partition of British India! :yes: )

merijanpakistan

February 23rd, 2006, 11:23 AM

Salam,

I agree. Good news. We can start Quetta-Kandahar, we should start Quetta-Zahedan, and we must start Karachi-Bandar Abbass survices.

Great news.

Peace.

cntower

February 23rd, 2006, 08:17 PM

Oh good news!

Maybe it could further travel to Kabul and beyond.

Quetta and Gwadar should be also looked into for bus services...between the cities and also in Kandahar, Zahedan and Bander-e-Abbas...afterall the people living in these cities are pretty much the same...it could increase trade, tourism lots!

singaporean

February 24th, 2006, 03:47 AM

yes i agree we shold start Quetta-Kandahar, Quetta-Zahedan,Gawadar-Bander-e-Abbas & Mitthi (sind, pak)-kuch (Gujrat,india) but we should not compromise on security anywhere and in any case.If we do it successfully without any problem we'll be having best infrustructe of roads.

singaporean

February 24th, 2006, 11:38 AM

Jalalabad bus service deal signed

By Our Staff Reporter

ISLAMABAD, Feb 23: The Peshawar-Jalalabad bus service will start on trial basis on March 15 with 11 runs every day, Communications Minister Shamim Siddiqui announced on Thursday.

“Five buses will go from Peshawar daily and six will come from Jalalabad,” the minister told reporters following an agreement between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Communications Joint Secretary Firdaus Alam and Afghan Deputy Minister for Transport Mohammad Hashim Waez Zada signed the agreement.

After analysing the outcome of the service for two months, the governments will consider opening the Quetta-Kandahar bus route. Security will be provided for the passengers and crew.

http://www.dawn.com/2006/02/24/top17.htm

cntower

February 25th, 2006, 11:45 PM

Maybe we could also put some refugees on this bus too...seriously...

singaporean

March 29th, 2006, 08:27 AM

Wednesday, March 29, 2006

Pakistan ready to start bus to Ajmer: Siddiqui

* Communications minister says visa policy still not friendly
* Indian and Pakistani foreign ministries resolving issue

By Ali Waqar

LAHORE: Pakistan is ready to start a bus service to Ajmer (Rajasthan), but the visa policy is not easy and the Indian and Pakistani foreign ministries are trying to resolve the issue, Federal Communications Minister Muhammad Shamim Siddiqui said at Wagah on Tuesday.

The minister, who inaugurated and flagged off the first Pakistani bus to Amritsar, said the Pakistani government was ready to start yet another bus service, this time to Ajmer. He said that although driving down to Ajmer would not be possible from Wagah, as it was a 22-hour journey, the Pakistani government had proposed driving to Rajasthan from Sindh, as it would only take six hours and roads had already been built for the Munabao-Khokhropar rail service.

However, the visa policy between both countries was not very friendly, he said, adding that the Indian and Pakistani foreign ministries were working on the issue under confidence-building measures and hopefully there would be a positive outcome.

Hoping that the existing India-Pakistan bus services would succeed in time, he said the buses would not only help the Sikh community visit their shrines in Pakistan, but would also increase people-to-people contact on both sides of the border.

He said such contact should continue in tandem with addressing the Kashmir issue.

Earlier, the communications additional secretary, who is also heading the Pakistani delegation that drove into India on Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation’s (PTDC) ‘Dosti’ bus, said the Nankana Sahib-Amritsar bus service would succeed despite initial problems. He also said the Pakistani government was trying to resolve impediments in the service and. Later, the communications minister flagged off the bus at Wagah at about 11:45am, which was warmly welcomed on the Indian side.

There were 35 people on the bus including its crew, 14 officials of the government and PTDC, 17 reporters from Lahore and Islamabad and two passengers. The passengers, who were Sikhs, told Daily Times that they lived in London had visited Sikh shrines in Pakistan. They also thanked the Indian and Pakistani governments for starting the bus service.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2006%5C03%5C29%5Cstory_29-3-2006_pg7_17

singaporean

May 24th, 2006, 12:21 PM

ISLAMABAD, May 23: Pakistan and China have agreed to start bus services on two routes across their borders from June 15, says Communication Minister Shamim Siddiqui. A protocol to this effect was signed at the conclusion of technical-level talks on Tuesday.

According to the minister, one route will be Kashgar-Khunjerab-Sust-Gilgit and the other Tashurgan-Khunjerab-Sust. The fare for the first route will be $40 and $25 for the other.

The minister said: “The bus service will help increase the trade volume between the two countries.”

http://www.dawn.com/2006/05/24/top6.htm

singaporean

June 3rd, 2006, 11:27 AM

QUETTA: Pakistan and Iran have agreed to start a regular passenger bus service between Quetta and Mashad via Dalbandin and Zahedan.

According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Communication, a decision had been taken at the fourth two-day meeting of the Pakistan-Iran Joint Commission on Road Transportation held in the Iranian city of Zahedan on May 30-31.

Officials said another meeting would be held between the two sides in two months in Tehran to finalise modalities of the bus service and other related issues.

The two sides agreed to issue six-month multiple entry visas to bus drivers from the two countries, with Pakistan proposing to extend the duration of stay of businessmen from both sides from 30 to 60 days. The next meeting of the Pak-Iran Joint Commission will be held in Pakistan.

http://thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=9232

singaporean

June 11th, 2006, 10:09 AM

KARACHI, June 10: Civil society representatives of Pakistan and India on Saturday reaffirmed their resolve to building bridges of understanding and cooperation between the two peoples and called for strengthening linkages between industry and business community, media and other areas and transforming South Asia into the second largest economy after China. The views were expressed in the inaugural session of the Karachi-Mumbai exchange programme, organised by the South Asian Free Media Association (Safma) to welcome the visiting Indian delegation. The Indian delegation comprising businessmen and representatives of media and showbiz arrived here in the morning.

At the inaugural session, which was presided over by Sindh Chief Minister Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim, speakers referred to great potential for economic cooperation between Sindh and Maharashtra via Mumbai and Karachi and stressed the need for moving ahead despite some hiccups in addressing and resolving the core issues, because there was no alternative to peace and amity.

The chief minister said both Karachi and Mumbai could serve as a strong bridge between the two countries. He expressed the hope that a ferry service, like the Muzaffarabad-Srinagar bus link and the service via Wagah, would strengthen the relations. He said the ferry service was the need of the hour.

He also stressed the need for resolving the core issue of Kashmir and asked India to respond positively to the proposals made by President Pervez Musharraf in this regard.

Dr Rahim said the opening of the train links with India via Monabao was a significant move forward for promoting people-to-people contact.

http://www.dawn.com/2006/06/11/nat1.htm

Mercenary

February 4th, 2007, 12:33 AM

Pakistan needs to build Subways to counter the massive congestion and traffic problems that are happening in Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi.

Building subways will reduce traffic, make those annoying Rickshaws obsolete, and thus reducing noise and air pollution.

My only problem is that Pakistanis are just too stupid to behave properly on Subways.

But if Iran can have subways in Tehran then why not Pakistan

Intoxication

February 4th, 2007, 01:55 AM

^^Iran is much more developed than Pakistan and their literacy rate is a lot higher than ours and on top of that most of their population lives in the cities.

NewYork-wala

February 4th, 2007, 02:13 AM

Money, political will... many probs.

UnitedPakistan

February 4th, 2007, 02:36 AM

Feasability and cost

siamu maharaj

February 4th, 2007, 09:21 AM

Cost? I've been hearing about many companies/countries/institutions/etc. that are ready to finance it for at least the last 15 years or so. I distinctly remember a Swiss Consortium once offering that they'd put the subways in Karachi, bear ALL the cost, then hand it over to Pakistan after they've recouped the cost (they wanted to run it for a few years).

So cost isn't an issue by any means. It's just a poor excuse. There are many other ways, too. Say Emaar wanted to build the island. Ask them to invest $2 billion in the city's infrastructure. That's a very common tactic employed almost universally. Like India asked McD's to teach potato cultivation to their farmers if it wanted to open up its outlets. There are numerous others.

Personally, I can't really pinpoint one reason for Karachi not having a metro as yet. I think it's got to do with...

1) Lack of interest
2) Pressure from the Bus Mafia
3) Too big of an undertaking; the same political benefit (Hey, our party made XYZ in Karachi) can be derived from much smaller things

February 4th, 2007, 09:30 AM

The only reason why we dont have proper construction in Pakistan, especially in cities like Karachi is because of the lack of dedication by the leaders of the cities and provinces.

It is a known fact that no leader has been so dedicated as to change the city's face.

It is an unfortunate issue that our leaders are mostly busy in quick fix work, like widening roads instead of laying down a proper mass transit system.

Although I have to say things have improved a bit, but still the main issues are still left behind, mass-transit, which is a key issue for nearly every major city of Pakistan, is left un-touched.

To be honest after hearing all those proposals and hearing all those cancellations, I frankly dont care if its a subway or an overhead line, I just want things to improve and I want them to improve as soon as possible, as if we waste anymore time now, things will go from worse to irreversable, things have already gone from bad to worse.

Its quite surprising to see that Hurontario St. in Mississauga is more wider then Sharea Faisal, irrelevant but if you consider Karachi's population and Mississauga's.

swerveut

February 4th, 2007, 11:34 PM

one word.... hopelessness

Pakia

February 4th, 2007, 11:54 PM

Few of the main reasons in not accomplishing or completing projects in Pakistan is its politicians lack of loyalty to Pakistan or love for it.

As many of them have their eyes set to loot as much as they can while "in office" and then take all the looted money from Pakistan to abroad and have luxury life and bad mouth Pakistan and blame it for their leaving it.
Bastards !!

Thanks to Mushy & Aziz (and a little bit luck & help from outside), Pakistan has accomplished more goals and progressed more in last 8 years than all of its 60 years.

Why can't we have more leaders who put Pakistan and its future first before their own greedy designs.

But like Iqbal said "zara num ho yeh mutti to bari zarkhaiz hai saaqi", thanks to Pakistanis like the ones here whose love & concern for Pakistan is so palpable and strong.
There is still hope (even for subways, an absolute must for a fast growing population) & dream of Quaid's Pakistan is still very possible. Inshallah.

Khanrak

February 5th, 2007, 09:18 AM

security might be an issue too

Mercenary

February 5th, 2007, 01:43 PM

security should be handled by security personnel

we have to build projects like these, they cannot be held back because of security

the security needs to be provided by the government

_BPS_

February 5th, 2007, 11:03 PM

Wasn't their already a monorail project going on?

UnitedPakistan

February 6th, 2007, 12:14 AM

For Lahore...

Maglav for Karachi

siamu maharaj

February 6th, 2007, 08:32 PM

Maglev for Karachi was a bogus project. It was some fake company that was behind it.

UnitedPakistan

February 6th, 2007, 10:55 PM

Maglev for Karachi was a bogus project. It was some fake company that was behind it.
Not fake but a failed company...

HasanB

February 8th, 2007, 09:00 PM

Not fake but a failed company...

Yeah true....surely though having the maglev as a mass rail transit wasnt realistic at all...the maglev should be used for inter city travel for example, a maglev network of trains connecting Pakistans main cities would be enough to put domestic airline operators out of business or something, imho anyway...

February 8th, 2007, 09:12 PM

The Maglev should have been left for something like a Karachi-Hyderabad route or I dont know if a Maglev can run for longer distances like Karachi-Gwadar or Karachi-Lahore?

February 9th, 2007, 02:39 PM

Well, in my opinion, anyone who thinks there should have been a maglev for karachi, is just being futuristic and overjoyed by the fancy name but doenst have the slightest idea of the consequences.

At todays prices, maglev is prohibitively expensive to build and as difficult to maintain. That is the very reason no city has yet undertaken a maglev project for mass transportation. The only commercially existing maglev is in china, and as part of its Olympics preparations. Also, china is a huge economy that can manage such projects anticipating the huge inflow of tourists and business there. And not to forget that even in china, it aint that cheap.

I think the best option for karachi and lahore should be a monorail and/or a subway. The monorail should diagonally cross the city for heavy traffic between city busy areas and suburbs while the subway should cater to traffic within city central/business area.

_BPS_

February 9th, 2007, 10:46 PM

For Lahore...

Maglav for Karachi

Monorail for lahore? I thought it was a subway for lahore?

Anyways, whichever it is, any updates? I thought they had already started construction late last year?

Mercenary

February 15th, 2007, 02:28 AM

This says that the work on Lahore Metro will begin in July 2007. Lets hope it goes through

http://lahore.metblogs.com/archives/images/2006/03/20060314_02.jpg

http://www.dawn.com/2006/08/10/nat29.htm

LAHORE, Aug 9: Work on the Lahore Rapid Mass Transit System will be started in July next year, says Planning and Development Board chairman Salman Ghani.

The ring road and the mass transit system will go together from Shama Chowk to Hadyara Drain, Mr Ghani told participants in a feasibility study seminar, organised by the Punjab Transport Department at the Royal Palm Golf Country Club on Wednesday.

Economic development of a country, he said, depended on the performance of its urban areas. Provision of infrastructure had been the integral part of the government strategy to make cities more efficient. Lahore had its own economic entity and the potential to grow further. Launching of projects like the ring road and the rapid mass transit system was part of the government plan to make cities dynamic.

Punjab transport secretary Agha Nadeem said the first phase of the rapid mass transit system would be operational by the year 2010-11. Some 35 trains would operate on two northward and as many southward tracks from Shahdara to Yohanabad with the capacity to carry 30,000 passengers in an hour on both sides.

The first phase mass transit system would be elevated from Shahdara to Bhati Chowk from where it would be underground up to Qurtaba intersection. The trains would run on a bridge from Ichhra up to Yohanabad.

The system would create 3,000 jobs on a permanent basis, he said.

There would be some 60 stopovers with interchange stations at Data Darbar, Jinnah Hall, Qurtaba intersection, Kalma Chowk, Chauburji and the Lahore railway stations after the completion of all the four phases of the project.

Later, project manager Mazhar Iqbal explained salient features of the feasibility study to the participants.

PROJECTS REVIEWED: Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi on Wednesday said the government was attaching top priority to poverty alleviation, removal of backwardness and provision of basic amenities in south Punjab.

Besides provision of urban facilities in 21 tehsils of six districts of the region, the Southern Punjab Basic Urban Services Project was also being speedily implemented in the area, which, he said, had accelerated development activities and generated job opportunities for the local population.

He was presiding over a meeting at his secretariat which reviewed the project implementation. Chairman Planning and Development Suleman Ghani, Secretary Local Government Akhlaq Ahmad Tarrar, Special Secretary Finance Azmat Ali Ranjha, Project Coordinator Bashir Ahmad Qureshi, Member Colonies Tariq Yousaf and other senior officials were also present.

The tehsils where the Rs7.5 billion project had been launched include Bahawalpur, Ahmadpur Sharqia, Hasilpur, Yazman, Khairpur Tameywali, Dera Ghazi Khan, Taunsa, Khanewal, Kabirwala, Mian Channu, Jahanian, Multan City, Jalalpur Pirwala, Qadirpur Ran, Shujabad, Muzaffargarh, Alipur, Jatoi, Kot Addu, Rajanpur, Jampur and Rojhan.

The project was aimed at improvement of water supply, drainage as well as sanitation system in the area. Water treatment plants were being installed and link roads constructed, while the solid waste management system was also being improved. The provincial government and tehsil municipal administrations were implementing the project in a coordinated manner.

The chief minister said the government would continue to provide funds to south Punjab more than the ratio of its population so as to ensure provision of basic amenities to the people.

Mercenary

February 15th, 2007, 02:48 AM

As for Karachi, there is this article which gives a very pathetic excuse why there isn't a Mass Transit System there:

http://mustaqbil.org/

Proposed Metro Lines
http://mustaqbil.org/mediac/400_0/media/KARACHI-$20MASS$20TRANSIT$204.JPG

http://mustaqbil.org/mediac/400_0/media/Karachi$20Mass$20Transit$202.jpg

TRAFFIC AND MASS TRANSIT ISSUES:

LESSONS FROM OTHER COUNTRIES

By Arif Hasan

(31 January 2006) Dawn

“It is very clear today that solving traffic problems by building more and bigger roads is like trying to put out a fire by gasoline” Enrique Penalosa, the mayor who solved Bogota’s traffic problems

In the last twenty years a large number of Third World cities have made huge investments in trying to solve their traffic problems and in building mass transit systems for their commuters. These traffic and mass transit related projects and programmes have been studied and evaluated by academics, relevant professionals and practitioners and by civil society organisations and a number of lessons have been learnt as a result. Karachi should benefit from these lessons as the government is in the process of constructing large traffic engineering projects for the city and proposing a variety of mass transit systems.

Bangkok, Tehran, Manila, Cairo, to name a few cities, have built hundreds of kilometres of expressways and hundreds of flyovers. Yet, their traffic conditions have not improved. As a matter of fact, they have become worse over time. Karachi today is far better off than them. The reason for this is that traffic problems are not solved simply by building expressways and flyovers but by effective segregation of through and local traffic, fast and slow traffic, pedestrianisation of appropriate prescients and above all by the development of a rational landuse policy and its implementation. For example, the building of the Lyari Expressway will lead to real estate development on either side of the river which in turn will generate over fifty thousand additional vehicles to this corridor once this development is complete. If we had not built the Expressway but had invested in relocating the Metal Market, the Dhan Mandi and the Chemical Market to the Northern Bypass and the recycling industries to landfill sites, we could have reduced about 30,000 vehicle trips per day into the old city. This includes heavy vehicles as well. As a result, we would have been able to provide badly needed amenities to the inner city which are now encroached upon by warehousing and cargo handling spaces for these markets and this would have created an environment for salvaging our built-heritage. Similarly, instead of building the KPT underpass, we could have extended the oil pipeline from the refinery to a point on the National Highway and could have created an oil terminal there. This would have removed twenty thousand tankers which now ply between Shireen Jinnah Colony and the National Highway through the Sunset Boulevard. Scores of such examples can be listed for the city of Karachi which also involve the movement of containers.

Planners in Manila and Bangkok are of the opinion that the failure of their investments in traffic engineering is the result of ad-hoc decisions not based on a comprehensive traffic and landuse plan. In Cairo, there is an opinion that some of the existing flyovers would have to be removed if Cairo’s traffic problems are to be resolved.

All the cities mentioned above have also invested heavily in mass transit systems using elevated light rail and also metro in the case of Bangkok and Calcutta. These systems have not solved their transport problems and nor have they helped in solving their traffic problems either. The reasons for this are that the rail based mass transit systems that have been built are on too small a scale to have a citywide impact; they are too expensive for the lower income groups to use; and they were built on corridors used by the maximum number of commuters although in most cases these commuters come to these corridors from other locations often far from these corridors. In addition, these systems have not decongested the corridors on which they have been built, as they were supposed to. On the contrary, these corridors have become further congested as the light rail stations have become places of interchange between different modes of commuting.

The reasons for these failures are simple. One, light rail systems are expensive and as such Third World cities have not been able to invest adequately in them. As a result, Bangkok’s sky train serves only three per cent of Bangkok’s commuting population; Manila’s serves only eight per cent; Cairo’s only two to three per cent; and Calcutta’s and Tehran’s metro even less. The rest of the population uses run down and often deteriorating bus systems. Two, since these systems have often been built without subsidies and are supposed to operate without subsidies also, they are expensive to use. The average cost of Bangkok’s light rail per trip is 25 Bath as opposed to 5 Bath for a similar journey by bus. The case of Manila is similar. So the poor do not use these systems.

Due to the reasons given above, Latin American cities are now opting, with considerable success, for segregated bus ways which operate in a manner similar to the light rail systems but are much cheaper to construct and as such have a larger outreach. Elevated light rails’ cost about US$ 40 million per kilometre; light rail at-grade about US$ 10 million per kilometre; and an electric trolley bus system, operating in a manner similar to the light rail, US$ 3 to 5 million per kilometre. The trolley bus system is also noiseless and as such causes no noise or air pollution and can be extended with comparative ease as compared to the rail systems. In term of outreach what does this mean? Corridor One, 15 kilometres of elevated light rail, was supposed to be built for US$ 668 million. At-grade we could have built 68 kilometres and we could have built 225 kilometres of trolley bus systems for the same sum. However, the pros and cons of these systems have to be studied keeping in view are socio-economic conditions and lessons learnt from other countries.

The Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) connects all the major work areas of the city where according to the Karachi Development Plan 2000, 45 per cent of Karachi’s commuting public works. It can be turned into a light rail system and can be extended at-grade into the major residential areas which are Baldia, Orangi, North Karachi, and Landhi-Korangi where 68 per cent of the commuting public originates. This seems to be the most rational project for the city along with the development of trolley bus corridors. It is also possible to turn the KCR corridor into a trolley bus system. However, these are issues that the transport engineers will have to decide in consultation with academics and civil society organisations.

Whatever decisions are ultimately taken, it is important that traffic engineering projects are a part of a larger city level traffic and landuse plan and not ad-hoc local level interventions as they are today. Mass transit systems should not be “prestige” projects but should serve the maximum number of commuters in the shortest period of time, and are affordable, even if their “efficiency” is compromised to some extent. And finally, elevated systems should not be built in the inner city where Karachi’s extraordinarily rich built-heritage is located.

The traffic engineering and mass transit projects will change our city unrecognisably, for better or for worse, as they have other cities. For better, only if these projects and systems benefit the bulk of our lower and lower middle income groups who are pedestrians and public transport users and who comprise 70 per cent of Karachi’s population.

KARACHI: Chinese firm, city govt sign accord on rail project

By Azizullah Sharif (Dawn May 14 2005)
KARACHI, May 14: The city district government and a Chinese group of companies on Thursday signed a preliminary implementation agreement for laying a 15.2 km-long double track for light-rail transit system in the city at an estimated cost of US dollars 569.387 million.

With the introduction of a fast AC light-rail transit system on Corridor-I, from Sohrab Goth to Mereweather Tower, initially around 400,000 commuters would benefit.

Later on, this facility would be extended up to New Sabzimandi on Superhighway.

Under the accord, signed by the City Nazim Niamatullah Khan on behalf of the CDGK and China National Machinery and Equipment Group's (CNMEG) senior vice president Ms Gu Zhengxie, a 15.2 km- long double track (8 kms elevated and 7.2kms underground), would be laid between Sohrab Goth and Mereweather Tower in four-and-a- half years.

According to a new strategy developed by the city government's KMTS, the project which is commonly known as Light- Rail Transit System's Corridor No 1 (from Sohrab Goth to Mereweather Tower), will have 14 stations (seven each on elevated and underground) tracks of the light-rail system.

The stations are to be set up at Water Pump, Aisha Manzil, Karimabad, Liaquatabad-10, Dakhana, Tin Hatti, Quaid's mausoleum, Al-Hamra, Garden Road, Eidgah, defunct KMC head office, Boulton Market.

Salient features of the agreement were unfolded at a news conference, jointly addressed by the city Nazim, Niamatullah Khan and the CNMEG's senior vice president Ms Gu Zhengxie, at a local hotel.

Chinese consul-general at Karachi Sun Chun Ye, DCO Mir Hussain Ali, DG mass transit Malik Zaheer-ul-Islam, EDO Works and Services, Shoaib Siddiqui, city Nazim's advisor Salim Azhar and a number of senior officials were present at the ceremony.

Divulging the details of the accord, the Nazim said that 90 per cent of the project's total cost (US$569.387 million plus insurance, commitment and management fee) which comes to US$ 512.448 million would be arranged from China as suppliers credit finance while the remaining 10 per cent of the contract amount would be contributed by the CDGK in US dollars.

The CDGK would arrange sovereign re-payment guarantee from the federal government for re-payment of principal and interest amounts, he said, adding the CDGK would request the ministry of finance for inclusion of the financing of the project under the preferential loan protocol signed during the last visit of President Pervez Musharraf to China.

He said that credit to be obtained from China will be repaid in 15 years with three years grace period with an interest rate of 3.5 per cent per annum or at par with the OCED (CIRR) rate.

Terming the accord a 'milestone' and first of its kind in the city's history, he said of the total seven firms which had pre-qualified for the project, an American and a Chinese firm had submitted their proposals on Jan 20, but after a lengthy discussions, the Chinese firm (CNMEG) was selected for undertaking the project keeping in view its expertise.

Deploring that the mass transit projects remained in paper in the past, it had now been made functional and the CDGK had planned five corridors for the city's mass transit system.

HasanB

February 15th, 2007, 03:34 PM

ArchiPak

August 26th, 2007, 12:36 PM

Metro train in twin cities will remain a dream?

By Aamir Yasin

ISLAMABAD: The Railways Ministry is seriously considering shelving its plans to launch a metro train service in Rawalpindi and Islamabad as the Punjab government and the Capital Development Authority (CDA) appear in no mood to issue NOCs (No Objection Certificates) to the ministry for the project’s approval.

The Punjab government and the CDA have been denying NOCs to the ministry for over a year, ignoring the president and the prime minister’s directives for the early launch of the service in the country’s eight major cities at an estimated cost of $2.4 billion.

Railway Ministry officials told Daily Times that the plan to launch a metro train service in Islamabad and Rawalpindi was most likely to be dropped, seeing the persistent shilly-shallying of the Punjab government and the CDA in issuance of sought-after certificates for the project’s launch. Plans to launch the same service in Peshawar and Quetta will however proceed as per schedule as the ministry has received NOCs from respective provincial departments concerned in this respect.

Officials said the metro service was set for launch in Karachi and Lahore and the provincial governments were responsible for the launch with technical assistance from the Railways Ministry. The ministry will monitor quality of service, they said.

The official said 18 firms from Iran, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Belgium, Australia, Germany and the UK had submitted Expressions of Interest (EoI) for preparing feasibility reports of the service in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar and Quetta. After evaluating these EoI, the ministry will ask eight selected companies to file financial bids on the project, they said.

The official said each train could carry 150 passengers, easing traffic rush on roads especially during rush hours. Each train can reduce 107 cars and 100 public buses off the roads, they said.

http://www.pakrealestatetimes.com/showthread.php?tid=1019

siamu maharaj

August 26th, 2007, 12:42 PM

Iran? Malaysia? HK? And there's no Japan?

spyk

August 26th, 2007, 04:27 PM

^^ the japanese are going to be way too fast for us :lol:
plus, they're shit is freakin expensive

im sorry, wats a metro train? like a subway? like underground tube? wat is it

doenumberpakistani

August 26th, 2007, 09:20 PM

mass transit...could be train, subway/underground tube, may even be LRT

FreakyMango

August 27th, 2007, 10:47 PM

Us Pakistanis are synonymous for trying to save a buck wherever we can hence why the motorways re all empty cos of the tolls you have to pay. Do you really think the people of Pakistan are ready for an expensive metro system?:ohno:

Khanrak

August 29th, 2007, 03:36 AM

They are not connecting the two cities. Govt is planning to launch mass transit systems in both cities.

Also, you are wrong. Metro service does infact follow a schedule (well atleast in all the cities I can think of at the moment, there might be some exceptions).

Are you sure of this? I've heard from more than one source about metro systems not being on a rigid timetable because of the high frequency of trains or busses. Some American cities are switching their bus systems to a metro system because the time table approach was a hassle, i can't think of why else they would refer to it as a metro system only after getting rid of rigid schedules. I think metro systems just offer a general timetable such as "approximately every 15 minutes" versus "7:03pm 7:18pm 7:33pm"

transistorized

August 29th, 2007, 04:15 AM

Are you sure of this? I've heard from more than one source about metro systems not being on a rigid timetable because of the high frequency of trains or busses. Some American cities are switching their bus systems to a metro system because the time table approach was a hassle, i can't think of why else they would refer to it as a metro system only after getting rid of rigid schedules. I think metro systems just offer a general timetable such as "approximately every 15 minutes" versus "7:03pm 7:18pm 7:33pm"

Quite sure of it, atleast about the metro systems. The major ones like NYC subway, DC area metro, BART, London underground etc, they all follow fixed schedules. Besides, think about it: why should they have trouble keeping their schedule. They run on separately laid tracks, so they shouldn't be delayed by anything.

You are right about bus system though. I have seen bus schedules saying "running every x" mins instead of giving exact time.

shueyb

August 29th, 2007, 03:23 PM

I've heard many people, who've spent some time in UK, praising the amazing punctuality of London's tube/metro.

siamu maharaj

August 29th, 2007, 05:48 PM

I've heard many people, who've spent some time in UK, praising the amazing punctuality of London's tube/metro.
Bet they still can't beat Japan!

oogabooga

August 29th, 2007, 09:50 PM

Yes!

Japan cannot be beaten

(from what I've heard)

Intoxication

August 29th, 2007, 10:05 PM

Why can't we have Japanese bullet trains in Pakistan?? :rant:

doenumberpakistani

August 30th, 2007, 05:52 AM

who said we cant? we can...some day... when Japan will be using space rockets :dunno:

X-entric

August 30th, 2007, 08:04 AM

Almost all underground lines in London have a strictly followed 'first' and 'last' train timing. In between these timings, trains depart at a few minutes interval ranging from 1 to 15 minutes depending on part of day ( rush hour/ late night etc).
Usually on major lines trains depart on average every 5 minutes.
This means nobody has to check a tube train departure time before leaving house. Once at a station during the operating times, you will find some train sooner rather than later unless there is some stoppage like signalling problems or other technical issues.

October 2nd, 2007, 01:22 AM

LAHORE: Daewoo Pakistan Express Bus Service Chief Executive Chang Kim has shown his intention to expand company's bus service to major cities of the Punjab province.

"We are importing a good number of air-conditioned buses from Korea, which would carry passengers from city to city," he told The Post during an interview at the Daewoo's Kalma Chowk office on Monday.

He said, "Daewoo has been providing express bus service both at the intra-city and in Lahore since 1997." This service, he said, is cheap as compared to services being provided by other transport companies, he said. The company's most successful route was Lahore-Rawalpindi-Lahore as passengers of Lahore specially prefer to go to Rawalpindi to Islamabad by Daewoo buses, he said.

However, he said, their bus service from Lahore to Murree was non-profitable.

During the summer season it is good, he said, adding in the winter season the company has to incur loss because of less number of passengers. Secondly, he said, Daewoo buses were too long about 12 meters and its drivers face difficulties in the zigzag Murree road, he added.

About start of Daewoo's service to Karachi, Mr Chang said the company has already started its service from Lahore to Karachi and planned to extend this service to Sukkur and Sadiqabad. "This new service would get underway by the end of the current year," he added.

He said a proposal to start bus service from Lahore to Peshawar is also under consideration.

Daewoo is in a mood to launch its service in Balochistan despite the poor law and situation in the province, he added.

sathya_226

October 5th, 2007, 02:09 PM

hi ppl

Everyone knows that to be a part of the deveoped world , it is very important to have world class transportation system for both inner city ans well as ouer city access. This is the time for Pakistan to develop world clas infrastructure for its overcrowding cities to make it livable for millions of residents. SO PAKISTAN SHOULD START IMMEDIATELY TO COMPETE WITH ITS BIG NEIGHBOURS LIKE CHINA AND INDIA IN DEVELOPING A WORLD CLASS INFRASTRUCTURE.

MAY ALLAH BLESS PAKISTAN TO HAVE A BETTER FUTURE.

CHEERS!

February 12th, 2008, 04:34 PM

ISLAMABAD, Feb 11: The civic authorities and a private firm on Monday jointly launched a CNG bus service in Islamabad.

Initially, 11 CNG buses are being plied on a route between Humak to Faisal Mosque. The bus would have a terminal in I-11 Sector.

The bus service was jointly launched by CDA, Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration and a private firm Mid Way Consortium as part of a comprehensive programme that is aimed at providing modern vehicular service to the residents of the twin cities.

The CNG buses would ply from Faisal Mosque to Humak Village touching F-8 Markaz, Karachi Company, New Katchery (G-10), Police Lines, Pirwadhai, Faizabad and Khana Bridge.

In this connection an inauguration ceremony was held here Monday. Chief Commissioner ICT Hamid Ali Khan was chief guest on the occasion and Chairman CDA Kamran Lashari was also present.

Addressing the ceremony, Kamran Lashari hailed the launch of modern transport facility for the residents of the federal capital and also the working relationship between the CDA and the ICT. He also sought the same cooperation from the Rawalpindi City Administration with the hope that it would enrich the beauty of the twin cities and facilitate their residents.

The official said the authority was also working on the project of Mass Transit System and hoped that the short-listing of the interested firms in this regard would be finalised shortly.

Chief Commissioner Hamid Ali Khan appreciated the launch of the new bus service and said new transport service would ease the problems being faced by the people while commuting on different routes of the federal capital.

spyk

February 13th, 2008, 02:23 AM

I've heard many people, who've spent some time in UK, praising the amazing punctuality of London's tube/metro.

london tube is sh*t

Intoxication

February 13th, 2008, 02:33 AM

london tube is sh*t

So are the buses. Not that much though.

pakboy

February 15th, 2008, 11:35 PM

yes but hes talking about the punctuality, which is very good for london tube but pathetic for buses, nearly every bus is always delayed.

farazilu

February 16th, 2008, 08:52 PM

most of london tube are on time, but maintenance work on old lines really delays them. like the Juble line is really quick and on time. but the bus system all over uk is same, always delayed. i love Lahore toyota vagon more then buses in Uk

spyk

February 18th, 2008, 12:24 AM

$2.4bn allocated to introduce modern transport system in Lahore

ISLAMABAD (updated on: February 17, 2008, 21:15 PST): A sum of $ 2.4 billion would be spent for introducing new transport, light rail system in Lahore in collaboration with private sector in order to ensure latest facilities for people, Member Infrastructure Planning Commission of Pakistan Dr Asad Shah said Sunday.

Talking to Private TV channel, he said,$ 1.4 billion would be raised by private sector while $ 1 billion would be generated by public sector.

In addition, he said, the World Bank is providing a loan of $ 250 million for improving infrastructure of five big cities including Lahore, Faisalabad and Gujranwala.

Asian Development Bank would provide more than $ 800 million to improve basic infrastructure particularly transport,sanitation, water and other related facilities in Karachi.

He said as many as $ 9 billion would be spent within a period of next four years to improve country's connectivity with rest of the world, especially to Central Asian States and China.

The target of improving National Trade Corridor (NTC) is to improve major highways, railways, ports, etc. Focus is to increase country's trade by around $ 300 billion.

Out of $ 9 billion, $5 billion would be spent to improve country's highways. And $1.5 billion has been allocated to modernise Pakistan Railways and expanding its tracks upto Afghanistan. While rest would be spent on improving ports, airports and providing other facilities to improve bilateral trade.

To meet trade targets, trade zones would be established alongwith motorways. Cost of doing business would be reduced significantly aimed at making Pakistani products competitive in the world.

He said, National Highways Authority is spending from Rs 30 to 35 million per annum to improve its network.Bridges are being built to reduce Peshawar-Karachi journey by half from 72 hours to 36 hours.

Fast trains would be run aiming to reduce journey from South to North in 28 hours. The share of Railways in freight would be enhanced to 30 percent of total freight from current 5 percent within a next couple of years, he said.

Copyright APP (Associated Press of Pakistan), 2008

mahmoodadeel

February 18th, 2008, 01:18 AM

300 Billion :shocked: really

siamu maharaj

February 18th, 2008, 09:35 AM

February 18th, 2008, 10:39 AM

For you, in your car maybe...but ask a truck driver how long it takes him.

Intoxication

February 18th, 2008, 03:20 PM

It takes 3 days to travel to Peshawar from Karachi? Are you kidding me? It takes less than day from Karachi to Lahore (I've done it), and that was in 1987. And takes very a few hours from Islamabad to Peshawar. Can't remember how much, but definitely less than 12. So, even if someone's stupid to go from Karachi to Lahore to Islamabad to Peshawar, it'll be less than 2 days.

You were like 6 in 1987.

siamu maharaj

February 18th, 2008, 03:41 PM

You were like 6 in 1987.
And?

Also, I just checked, it was 1986.

Intoxication

February 18th, 2008, 03:54 PM

How could you drive at 6? How could you even remember that journey?

siamu maharaj

February 18th, 2008, 07:00 PM

How could you drive at 6? How could you even remember that journey?
Where did I say I was driving?

singaporean

February 20th, 2008, 05:14 AM

transistorized

February 20th, 2008, 09:23 AM

There are actually two main highways that run from peshwar all the way down to karachi, one of them is N5 (GT Road) and the other one is Indus Highway (N-55 i think).

They have already fixed GT Road all the way down to Sukkur (four lanes, excellent condition) and soon plan to have it fixed the remaining part as well. Before all of this, it used to be in horrible condition. They are also fixing Indus Highway, if I am not mistaken they started fixing it from the northern end, are have already fixed close to 200-300km of it (Lowari Tunnel is a part of this fix-up)

February 26th, 2008, 01:25 AM

KARACHI: A new concept in urban transport systems is in the offing as the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has allocated US$ 223 million for the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS), to be launched in collaboration with the City District Government Karachi (CDGK). The BRTS would facilitate the transportation of at least 20,000 passengers on a persons-per-hour-per-direction basis.

ADB Karachi Mega City Sustainable Development Project (KMCSDP) Programme coordinator Roshan Ali Sheikh told Daily Times that the BRTS is a huge project that aims to provide people transport services of the same quality that is available in Western countries. The project encompasses the construction of 11 corridors, which will be built in the four tranches of the mega city project.

Under Tranche-1, the ADB has chosen three corridors, which are to be completed in three steps, preliminary design, detailed design and the implementation programme. The preliminary design is expected to begin within a month. The entire three-corridor project is slated to be completed within a record period of time of 24 months but if things go smoothly, this may be achieved within 18 months.

The BRTS will resemble a network of railway stations because instead of bus stops, there will be station-like compounds. Like railway tracks, no other transport will be allowed to ply on the track of buses under the BRTS.

The three corridors under Tranche-1 (which will be undertaken from 2008 to 2010) are Transit Route 1 from Surjani Town to the Quaid’s mausoleum (20 km, with potential for another 12 km to be added under a study being conducted currently), Route 2 from the Quaid’s mausoleum to Karachi University via Old Sabzi Mandi (14 km) and Route 3 in Orangi Town Extension (4 km). The corridors under Tranche-2 are Route 4 from Nagan Chowrangi to Landhi (21.5 km), Routes 5 and 6 in Rashidabad Extension and UP More Extension (2.7 km). Under Tranche-3 are Route 7 from Gulistan-e-Jauhar to University Road (4.7 km), Route 8 from KDA to Metropole via Shahra-e-Faisal (10.4 km), Route 9 from Shahrah-e-Quaideen (2.3 km), Route 10 from Korangi to Shahrah-e-Faisal (18 km) and Route 11 in Defense Housing Authority (DHA) (4.8 km).

The CDGK Mass Transit Cell director, General Malik Zaheer, told Daily Times that the BRTS is a CDGK project that came into being after the Pakistan government planning commission conducted a 3-month study on the possibilities of environment-friendly public transport systems for Karachi. The study yielded a solution based on 2 aspects: firstly, the use of CNG buses, which the government of Pakistan has opted to work on and secondly the design and development of the BRTS, which the ADB has picked to fund.

The buses plying under the BRTS will be environmentally friendly dedicated-CNG buses with a capacity of 160 persons. Special CNG stations with high filling pressure are required at the terminals so that every bus can get its tank filled within 2 minutes. City nazim Mustafa Kamal fully backs this project and is devoted to addressing the problems of the common man, said Zaheer.

Tranche-1 of the mega city project includes two more phases, which will also be funded by the ADB. These are the first phase of an Urban Traffic Control System (UTCS) and a key link road to the National Highway. The budget for all three phases of Tranche-1 is US $223 million.

It is to be noted here that the ADB will also be funding the remaining three tranches. Under Tranche-2 (slated for implementation from 2009-2012), US $132 million have been allocated for Routes 4 to 6 of the BRTS, US $27 million allocated to phase 2 of the UTCS and US $40 million for a link road to the Malir Expressway. A sum of US $199 million has been earmarked for Tranche-2. Tranche-3 has been allocated US $53 million, while Tranche-4 has been allocated US $185 million, of which US $165 million have been allocated for Routes 7 to 11 and US $20 million to a key link road. Hence, the ADB has allocated a total of US $660 million for these mega projects of the city in collaboration with the CDGK.

The sixth meeting of the steering committee for KMCSDP was held under Sindh Caretaker Finance Minister Deewan Yousuf Farooque on Sunday.

According to a hand out issued here on Sunday, the minister urged the officers concerned to speed up the process of ongoing development projects in city. KMCSDP Programme Coordinator Roshan Ali Sheikh explained the importance of the project and offered some suggestions for the improvement of water and sewerage systems in the city.

Intoxication

March 16th, 2008, 11:15 PM

Quite sure of it, atleast about the metro systems. The major ones like NYC subway, DC area metro, BART, London underground etc, they all follow fixed schedules. Besides, think about it: why should they have trouble keeping their schedule. They run on separately laid tracks, so they shouldn't be delayed by anything.

You are right about bus system though. I have seen bus schedules saying "running every x" mins instead of giving exact time.

Almost all underground lines in London have a strictly followed 'first' and 'last' train timing. In between these timings, trains depart at a few minutes interval ranging from 1 to 15 minutes depending on part of day ( rush hour/ late night etc).
Usually on major lines trains depart on average every 5 minutes.
This means nobody has to check a tube train departure time before leaving house. Once at a station during the operating times, you will find some train sooner rather than later unless there is some stoppage like signalling problems or other technical issues.

Actually the London Tube ain't all that great. I don't like that fact that it isn't 24/7. It should be 24/7. Even on Friday and Saturday nights, the last trains run at like 12:30 am and after that you have to take the night buses home. Are the other major metros 24/7 or not?

slashcruise

May 12th, 2008, 02:01 AM

There is a desperate need of mass rapid transit system in Karachi like one built in Delhi....It will solve the transportation chaos

X-entric

May 12th, 2008, 03:42 AM

Actually the London Tube ain't all that great. I don't like that fact that it isn't 24/7. It should be 24/7. Even on Friday and Saturday nights, the last trains run at like 12:30 am and after that you have to take the night buses home. Are the other major metros 24/7 or not?

London Underground has 2 tracks for all train lines. One in each direction and they have to shut the service to carry out maintenance work at night. The only way to run it 24/7 is by having atleast 4 tracks underground so that 2 can be used while others are repaired. Thats not possible in London atleast.
I have heard that NY underground system has 4 rail lines.

PakFan

May 12th, 2008, 03:22 PM

London Underground has 2 tracks for all train lines. One in each direction and they have to shut the service to carry out maintenance work at night. The only way to run it 24/7 is by having atleast 4 tracks underground so that 2 can be used while others are repaired. Thats not possible in London atleast.
I have heard that NY underground system has 4 rail lines.

The London Underground system is a shocker. I have no choice but to use the system every day for commuting purposes.

It suffers from a chronic underinvestment in its infrastructure. There are almost daily breakdowns in the system due to signalling failure, track problems etc

You are right in that all maintenance on the system is conducted during a short window in the early hours of each morning. As a result of this maintenance work and the limits of the two-track system, it is impossible to run the system on a 24/7 basis.

Bearing in mind that it is the world's oldest underground system and that it first opened in the late-1800s, the key lines on the network were never designed to carry the volume of traffic which the network is being asked to carry today (a bit like the usage of old copper telephone lines to carry broadband but thats a discussion for another day).

pakboy

May 13th, 2008, 09:50 AM

london transport is utter shit, the busses are always late and are stinky and full of shit, and the underground is like a ghetto, it needs an urgent major make over. the trains on some lines are like 40 years old, rats are all over the station.

PakFan

May 13th, 2008, 10:03 AM

Intoxication

May 13th, 2008, 12:54 PM

You guys bitch so much! :ohno: I use the underground and buses too. Its not that bad!

PakFan

May 13th, 2008, 12:59 PM

'KCR system to be revived by 2011'

ISLAMABAD (May 13 2008): Pakistan Railways (PR) has decided to revive Karachi Circular Railway System (KCR) by 2011, an official of the Ministry of Railways said here. The official said that Karachi Urban Transport Corporation (KUTC) would be incharge of the project being undertaken with the assistance of Japanese company JICA, which he added would make feasibility study of the project.

The Government of Japan would provide a soft loan of 872 million dollar, which would be payable in 40 years. The project would be executed in three years on Japanese and European style. The 50 km KCR will have 21 underpasses and overhead bridges. The official said, around seven lakh passengers of 23 different stations of the city would get benefit from the project daily.

He said that under the project 246 trains would ply in the city adding that each train had the capacity of carrying 1,236 passengers. "The track for these trains will be of international standard and they will be available at each terminal after three minutes," he said.

The official said it had also been decided to launch this project on turnkey basis. The contractors would operate KCR initially for two years and after that it would be handed over to Pakistan Railways, he added. Besides maintenance of KCR, the contractor would be responsible to train Pakistan Railways' staff, he added. He said that the Sindh police would provide security to the foreign engineers and other related persons, deputed to commission this project.

Source: Business Recorder

Another freakin feasibility study!!:ohno:

May 27th, 2008, 12:17 AM

ISLAMABAD: One hopes that the new democratic government, having a better understanding of grassroots level problems, will give practical shape to its goodwill gesture by executing the mega mass-transit transport system (MTTS) project in the twin cities of Rawalpinidi and Islamabad to overcome traffic problems once and for all.

The government should give high priority to developing a mass transit transport system as rapid urbanization and an increase in vehicular traffic is resulting in serious traffic congestions in the twin cities.

Although one appreciates the efforts made by the Capital Development Authority (CDA) for improving the existing infrastructure by widening roads and erecting underpasses, overhead bridges, service lanes and cross junctions to streamline traffic, it is not a permanent solution to the problem.

An estimated 200 vehicles are being registered daily with the Islamabad Excise and Taxation Office and more than 150,000 vehicles ply the city roads.

It may be recalled that the previous government approved the revival of National Mass Transit Authority under the Ministry of Railways to promote, plan, develop and regulate the Urban Mass Transit System in eight cities.

The objectives of the Islamabad-Rawalpindi Mass Transit System is to provide a safe, secure, comfortable, reliable, swift, affordable and environmentally-acceptable mode of transportation to the people of the twin cities.

Besides, the CDA and Rawalpindi district government have yet to fulfil their promise to introduce an environment- friendly public transport (CNG-fitted buses) service.

It is a matter of worry that presently, there is no organized bus service operating in Islamabad and Rawalpindi and the private transport system comprising Mazda, Toyata Hiace and Suzuki, plying 16 different routes between the two cities, cannot cope with the growing demand and the situation is going from bad to worse.

Naresh

June 16th, 2008, 10:16 PM

Metro rail system being considered for 8 major cities : Naek (http://www.app.com.pk/en_/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=40440&Itemid=2)

ISLAMABAD, June 4 (APP) : Minister for Railways Farooq H Naek informed the National Assembly on Wednesday that there is proposal to start metro rail service in the eight major cities of Pakistan including Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi-Islamabad, Peshawar and Quetta.

While replying to a question from Senator Tahir Mashhaddi during Question Hour he said that feasibility studies for the major cities are being conducted by respective provincial governments and Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT).He said that for Karachi the study was carried out by Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) and submitted in 2006.Now the study is being revalidated by a United Kingdom firm which is likely to be completed by May next year.

The minister also informed the House that there is a proposal under consideration to conduct a feasibility study for a new high-speed line from Karachi to Kotri-Hyderabad.

Replying to a question from Tahira Latif he said that there is a proposal to revive 75 km Railway track from Mandra to Bhawan and its extension for another 35 km to link the cement factories located in Choa Saidan Shah.

To another question Farooq Naek said that the feasibility study for conversion of 295 km Railway track from narrow gauge to broad gauge from Bostan to Zhob in Balochistan has been completed.While replying to a question from Senator Raza Muhammad Raza he said that the new track will be laid in three years time after approval from the Planning Commission.

To a question from Col (retd) Tahir Mashhaddi, Farooq Naek said that it is not the fact that Railways bridges on rivers and big canals in the province of Sindh are in dilapidated condition.He said that during the outgoing financial year Rs 37 million have been allocated for repair and maintenance of bridges in Sindh out of which Rs 33.8 million have been spent so far.

Answering another question from Tahira Latif,he said that afforestation of Railways land is carried out annually.

Cheers:cheers:

June 16th, 2008, 10:38 PM

have been hearing about this proposal for years now. Let them start the ones that already have a feasibility study e.g lahore mass transit.

HSR is useless for such short distances IMO...besides there is already a study done on ISB-LHR one. Finish that before starting new ones (personally I would be happy with decent non-high speed unless its between lahore and karachi).

siamu maharaj

June 17th, 2008, 07:30 AM

I personally think that HSR should be used for smaller distances.

Khanrak

June 20th, 2008, 05:16 AM

High speed probably means about 100mph.

As for metros... I think Pakistan needs to build up a system of overland rail lines (like the KCR) before digging underground. The costs are MUCH less, and a lot of infrastructure is already in place. Once we get commuter trains up and running, then we should build trams, and then subways last. (i do think though that the commuter rails WOULD need to be underground for at least a few km's though).

June 20th, 2008, 09:21 AM

^^ yep start with practical and cost-effective things first and move to metro systems later.

brightside.

June 28th, 2008, 05:07 AM

Sindh govt to take over public transport affairs from CDGK (http://www.dawn.com/2008/06/28/local6.htm)

KARACHI, June 27: Criticising the attitude and performance of the City District Government Karachi (CDGK), Sindh Minister for Transport Akhtar Hussain Jadoon has said that the provincial government will henceforth utilise certain federal funds for the public transport sector by itself instead of releasing them to the city government’s transport department.

Addressing a press conference here on Thursday evening, he pointed out that the federal government was providing funds to the CDGK transport department through the provincial government but the city government’s performance stood dissatisfactory due to its flawed policies for the public transport sector.

He noted that the CDGK had inducted 70 green buses in the city’s public transport fleet but all these vehicles vanished from the city roads within the next few months. “Now the CDGK says it will induct another 4,000 CNG buses which is questionable considering its past performance,” he added.

The minister said that the Sindh government was holding talks with various foreign firms with a view to resolve the public transport problem in Karachi and other parts of Sindh. He announced that 500 buses would be brought in for Karachi and the Sindh interior soon and an increased number of vehicles would be inducted every year. He made it clear that the buses would be operated by the provincial transport department by itself.

Mr Jadoon also accused the CDGK of interfering into the affairs of his department. In this regard, he said that the city government was not allowing the newly-posted EDO transport to take the charge of his office although the officer in-charge had already been transferred and he, at present, was on a foreign visit at government expense.

He said that Rs9.36 billion of the department had been spent on such foreign visits, adding that a probe into the wastage of such a big amount of the public money would be ordered. “Looters and plunderers of the public money will be taken to task,” he declared.

The minister was also critical of the traffic police personnel, saying that many of them indulged in extorting transporters. He noted that fake vehicle fitness certificates were being issued to the transporters after accepting bribe. He said that some transporters, in connivance with corrupt elements in the traffic police and the city government, were occupying bus termini and other properties of the transport department. The provincial government would get all these properties vacated at all costs, he said

Mr Jadoon said that on the special instructions from PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, the Sindh government would foot the bill of conversion of around 70,000 two-stroke rickshaws to four-stroke tri-wheelers. The transporters operating diesel buses would be provided CNG-powered engines, he added.

The provincial transport department, he said wanted to extend all possible facilities to commuters but there were certain elements who were putting hurdles in its way. He said his ministry was in touch with the chief minister and top PPP leadership for action against these elements.

Meanwhile, the Karachi Transport Ittehad (KTI), a conglomerate of several public transport operators, has strongly criticised the personnel of CDGK’s community police, accusing them of misbehaving with crew of buses and extortion.

In a statement issued here on Friday, they referred to the Thursday incident in which a bus driver was severely beaten up at Empress Market. They demanded action against the personnel involved in the incident.

They said such excesses by the community police would not be tolerated, warning that a wheel-jam strike would be observed if this “parallel policing system” was not done away with.—PPI

July 1st, 2008, 12:20 AM

Finally the commuters would be able to get relief as Varan Tours is launching its transport service on the twin city routes from Thursday, confirmed its chairperson Uzma Gul here on Monday.

Talking to ‘The News’ Uzma Gul said that all formalities have been completed and the District Regional Transport Authority has directed the company to ply its buses on five routes of Rawalpindi and Islamabad. After getting permission, Varan has decided to launch its service on Thursday, she added.

She said that Punjab Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif would launch the new bus services. She thanked the CM for showing keen interest in resolving the transport problem in the best interest of the public. “Though the previous governments made promises and gave assurances but never took positive decisions for the launching of transport,” she added.

The Punjab government has decided to increase the fares of transport from July 1, the Varan company would charge fares according to new rates but with modern and improved facilities, she said.

In all 15 buses of Varan would ply on five routes of Rawalpindi and Islamabad. Initially the company would cover three routes including Peshawar Road, Pirwadhai, Taxila, Railway Station, and Rewat. In the second phase, the remaining two routes from Saddar to Islamabad via Murree Road would be covered possibly after two to three weeks, she assured.

There is also possibility of increasing the number of buses on the demand of commuters, she said. Uzma Gul told that local transport like wagons and coasters would also ply on the routes of the twin cities therefore there would be a good competition. Varan would be in a position to provide better, quick and improved services forcing people to prefer our transport, she said. The old people and students would be given 50 per cent concession in fares. Like past special arrangements have been made to facilitate female commuters, she informed.

This is the second time that Varan Tours would be providing transport services to the public in Rawalpindi and Islamabad. In February 2005, the then provincial government and the district government closed Varan transport service. Since then the concerned authorities despite making promises and assurances failed to provide alternate transport to the public who had been badly suffering at the hands of wagon drivers and conductors due to their misconduct and rude behaviour with the passengers.

Though the Supreme Court while allowing the local transporters including wagons and coasters to ply their vehicles but with better and improved facilities but they failed to honour the orders of the superior court. As a result the commuters continued to suffer badly mostly office goers, students and ladies. When contacted RTA Secretary Tariq Rahim confirming the report said that 90% documentation work had been completed and remaining 10% will be completed within one or two days. He said know it is up to the Varan Tours to decide when they will launch their service.

Intoxication

July 1st, 2008, 03:26 PM

^^ I say this is great news! :) Varan buses are just AWESOME! :happy: Easily the best sort of buses in Pakistan. And whats even better is that people love travelling by Varan! :yes:

silal

July 2nd, 2008, 10:09 AM

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y137/silal/untitled-1.jpg

from: http://www.adb.org/Documents/RRPs/PAK/40573-PAK-RRP.pdf

Intoxication

July 2nd, 2008, 03:33 PM

^^ Looks great! Thanks! :) When will it come to reality? The link is way too LONG to read!

Nouman_26

October 10th, 2008, 10:02 AM

KARACHI (October 10 2008): Asian Development Bank (ADB) has agreed to lend over $2 billion to Pakistan which is considering to introduce Light Rail Transit System (LRTS) in one of its most congested cities, Karachi. According to official sources the regional loaning institution has expressed its willingness to provide Pakistan with a soft loan to be used for development of the mega project.

"ADB has committed to provide us a big loan of over $2 billion for the LRTS project," said an official in Sindh government. They said feasibility study for LRTS would soon be initiated jointly by the Sindh and city governments.

The new system, they said, would have a subway-like mechanism of stop-by-stop brakes, like most of the developed and some of the developing countries. They said the government was following a comprehensive strategy that includes projects, like Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS), LRTS and Heavy Rail Transit System to improve the overall transportation system in the metropolis.

The government of Pakistan, they said, was already in talks with ADB for a soft loan worth $600 million to finance the Bogota-like Bus Rapid Transit System in Karachi. The ADB loan for BRTS would also be used for conducting feasibility study for the LRTS, added the sources. "This is the success of Sindh government that the international loaning institutions like ADB is committing such a big loan to us," said the official.

siamu maharaj

October 10th, 2008, 10:10 AM

Now that I'm done laughing, here's a link to Bogota's Bus System

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TransMilenio

Nouman_26

October 11th, 2008, 09:56 AM

Saturday, October 11, 2008
By M. Waqar Bhatti

Karachi

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has directed that the National Mass Transit Authority (NAMTA) be revived – for the third time since 1994 – with the federal Railways Minister as its chief. He has also directed that provincial mass transit authorities be set up in all four provinces to promote, plan, develop and regulate an urban mass transit system in all major cities of the country.

Taking a lead in this regard, the Sindh government, 10 to 12 days ago, had established the Sindh Mass Transit Authority (SMTA) with former DCO Dadu District Dr Mukhtar Soomro as its Managing Director and Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah as the authority’s Chairman, Mukhtar Soomro confirmed to The News on Friday.

Soomro dispelled the impression that the creation of the SMTA could create a rift between the Sindh government and the City District Government Karachi (CDGK), saying it had not interfered with projects initiated by the CDGK nor has it any such intentions.

Soomro said that, during a meeting in the last week of September, the prime minister had directed that the NAMTA be revived and it was decided that Chairman, Railway Board, who is also the federal Railways Minister, would head the body as its chairman.

During the meeting, provincial governments were also urged to establish provincial mass transit authorities, he said, adding that Sindh has taken a lead in this regard by creating the SMTA, which was placed under the administrative control of the provincial Finance Department. It is worth mentioning here that the NAMTA was set up by Benazir-led PPP government in 1994 with senior PPP leader Prof. N.D Khan as its chief but, before initiating any project, it was rolled back along with the dismissal of the PPP government.

The NAMTA was revived again in 2007 on the directives of the then prime minister Shaukat Aziz and it was decided at a meeting chaired by former federal Railways Minister Shaikh Rasheed Ahmed that NAMTA would act as a regulatory authority for mass transit systems. However, the authority remained functionless till the completion of the previous government’s tenure owing to political turmoil as well as many other factors and no progress was made on planning, conducting feasibility studies or executing mass transit systems in major cities of the country.

The MD SMTA Dr Mukhtar Soomro believed that with the revival of NAMTA and creation of a provincial mass transit authority, work on various proposals of mass transit systems in the major urban centers of the province would be expedited.

“Currently, the SMTA is in its initial stage and as such it is not fully functional at the moment. The authority’s composition has also not been completed as yet,” he said, adding that the authority was yet to convene its first meeting since its inception. “We are planning to hold the first meeting of the mass transit authority in the 3rd or 4th week of this month, depending on the availability of the Sindh chief minister,” he informed.

Commenting on the role of provincial mass transit authority, he said that the need for creating such a body was felt keeping in view the transport requirements of major urban centres of the province including Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Larkana, Mirpurkhas and Nawabshah. “Top priority would of course be given to Karachi for being the capital of the province but other major cities of the province also need mass transit systems as their population is also growing at the same speed,” he informed. Dispelling an impending rift between the CDGK and the Sindh government, Soomro said that, “all the mass transit projects are in their early stages and there is need for a centralized authority to materialize and execute all these projects. Mass transit projects require huge funding that can only be arranged by the provincial and federal governments from the donor agencies,” he claimed.

According to him, the Nazims and DCOs of major cities of the province would also be members of the authority, as, without their presence, mass transit projects could not be planned and executed as per their own needs and requirements.

On the other hand, the CDGK was not satisfied with the creation of SMTA and the City Nazim Karachi had reportedly raised the issue with President Asif Zardari in a meeting last month that was also attended by the Sindh CM and the provincial cabinet members.

On the creation of SMTA, the CDGK officials expressed fears that it could jeopardize all their efforts for various mass transit projects being pursued by the city government and citizens might have to wait for years to have transport facilities of international standard.

slashcruise

October 11th, 2008, 01:36 PM

siamu maharaj

October 11th, 2008, 04:43 PM

Nouman_26

December 13th, 2008, 08:10 AM

KARACHI, Dec 12: The federal government has formally requested the Japanese government to keep a provision of over $872 million loan for the revival of the Karachi Circular Railway in the current financial year, it has been learnt reliably.

Sources told Dawn that the federal finance ministry’s economic affairs division, in its communication sent last week, urged Japan to give it a Special Terms for Economic Partnership (STEP) loan so that the long-standing transport problem of the commuters of its largest port city and financial hub could be solved. The sources said as the Japanese financial year started in April, so if the provision for the KCR loan was provided in it then it would be easier to put the project in the next budget of Pakistan as the financial year here started in July.

The sources said that earlier the loan had been supposed to be provided by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC). However, a few weeks back the bank was merged into the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), which now became the donor agency.

The $872 million soft loan is being provided at a 0.2 per cent mark-up and it is payable within 40 years with an initial 10-year grace period.

Responding to Dawn queries on Friday, the Managing Director of the Karachi Urban Transport Corporation, Ejaz Khilji, said that JICA’s deputy regional head of South East Asia, Mr Morikawa, who is based in Tokyo, had come to the city and had held a meeting with him on Dec 6 regarding the project. A Japanese team was also in the city to carry out various studies, he added.

Under the project a new around 50-kilometre-long double railway track would be laid and 31 stations would be re-constructed, many of these at the new locations near the road intersections, etc so that commuters could easily change local trains and the road transport. A six-kilometre-long new section between the Drigh Road station and the airport’s Jinnah Terminal would also be laid. As many as 247 electricity-powered trains, each having a carrying capacity of over 1,600 passengers, would be plying on the dedicated tracks at an average speed of over 60 kilometres per hour. Time period between two trains would be five to six minutes.

The sources said that Karachi was probably the only mega city with a population of over 12 million that did not have a mass transit system and the commuters were left at the mercy of largely unregulated transporters.

The circular railway was established in the city in 1964 and its 30-kilometre loop had 22 level-crossings and seven bridges and it worked satisfactorily till 1984. But with the emergence of alternative modes of transport and low priority given to the KCR by bureaucrats, allegedly under the influence of transporters, it started to deteriorate and eventually it was wrapped up in 2000. However, now with the increased road transport, all the 22 level-crossings would be replaced either with bridges or underpasses.

http://www.dawn.com/2008/12/13/local6.htm

siamu maharaj

December 13th, 2008, 09:40 AM

Not true. Not all crossings have been replaced.

RANA AAA

January 13th, 2009, 06:47 AM

Lahore to have 300 new buses

Jamaluddin Jamali

LAHORE: Existing public transport like wagons, buses, motorcycle rickshaws, and illegal route operators have become major hurdle for Lahore Transport Company (LTC) to launch new urban buses in the city, The Post has learnt.

Official sources confided to The Post that the transporters are not willing to launch new urban buses in the city without complete monopoly on roads and the transport department has no option expect removal of exiting transport like motorcycle rickshaws, wagons, mini buses and "illegal route operators" from the roads.

The officials said that the government is planning to launch about 300 urban buses within next two months and old buses will be banned on routes which are being allotted to owners of new buses on the demand of transporters the officials said that as per the population of the city about 4500 buses are required to meet international standards.

The color, design, and logo of the buses will same in the city and the bus service will be a project based on the government-private partnership and staff of the Lahore Transport Company will monitor and regulate the bus service. Source said that traffic warden will have no control on the new bus service rather special police of the LTC will control the bus service. They said the LTC intends to provide international quality transport to citizens.

The most important thing about the new bus service is that head way frequency of buses arrival on each stop will be 3 minutes in peck hours and 30 minutes in the late night hours. From 7am to 9am and 2pm to 5 pm bus will reach on bus stops after every 3 minutes and from 7pm to 9pm 5minutes while from 10 pm on wards with interval of 30 minutes.

Sources said transporters all demands are being considered by the transport department on the direction of the Punjab chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif in day to days being held as part of Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) between the LTC and the transporters to phase out the map of the new urban transport service in the city as per international standards.

They said the government has promised to give Rs 800,000 to transporters on purchase each bus for induction of new buses but transporters demands are on rise.

The LTC which was established on December 13, 2008 is planning to develop the quality of urban transport in the city as per international standard working jointly with the big transporters groups.

The officials added that at the moment there is deadlock on the issue of complete control of routes as the government can not ban other bus operators so easily.

The ambitious transporters groups conveyed to LTC that no public transport service other than their buses should be allowed to run on the routes which will be given to them.

Chief Transport Planner Ghulam Dastagir Khan told The Post that 4500 buses are required to meet the transport needs of the provincial capital but presently 300 buses are on cards which will be launched within next two months.

He said that the government will purchase buses from local manufacturers including Hino, Isuzu, Nissan gandhar, Afzal Daewoo motors and transport department will pay Rs 25 percent of the cost of the bus to manufacturer companies so that they may provide buses to transporters on less rates. He said LTC will enforce head way frequency of 3 minutes for on each bus stop.

Khanrak

January 13th, 2009, 08:17 AM

January 13th, 2009, 01:33 PM

Is there any bus service in Pakistan that is run by a central authority? All these chaotic private buses clogging up the streets could be replaced by an orderly system of city buses. Hell, those private bus drivers can be given uniforms, driving lessons, and then offered jobs as city employees.

A lot of private buses are operated by politically active or politically influential people. We need to break the mafia before anything will move forward.

moved_on

January 15th, 2009, 05:48 AM

Vancour's Skytrain model is the best model for Pakistani cities.

Aadil.Aijaz

February 14th, 2009, 02:54 PM

Look at this... Even in a city like Isloo, we have transportation problems :ohno:

http://www.app.com.pk/photo/photo_lib/14-02-2009/fca956136267b2e2639c7edf74401dbc.jpg

February 14th, 2009, 03:05 PM

That's because they stopped the "Varan Bus Service"...back in those days, the situation was not as bad.

This looks absolutely horrible.

Aadil.Aijaz

February 14th, 2009, 07:03 PM

Lahore's best feature is local Daewoo buses for the transportation of the citizens...
I think CDA got to learn something from them..

Ahmad Rashid Ahmad

February 14th, 2009, 08:27 PM

yes, Daewoo is doing a great job both within city & inter city.
GREAT SERVICE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
:banana:

taseer121

February 14th, 2009, 09:20 PM

^^ what about niazi busses r they any good??????

cntower

February 15th, 2009, 01:27 AM

Daewoo City Bus Lahore? They need to expand big time in Lahore, they have limited routes and they don't come very regularly, at least you have to wait around 20 mins for a bus!

February 15th, 2009, 02:29 AM

better than having nothing at all. :tongue3:

Aadil.Aijaz

February 15th, 2009, 09:58 AM

@cntower
well at least at the location I used to live in LHR, that bus arrived at the "Bus Stop" every 5 minutes...

brightside.

February 15th, 2009, 12:02 PM

Lahore's buses are the best in Pakistan by far. They're huge, they are clean, and they come to a complete stop to let people off/on. Not that I took them everywhere, just from Cantt to Fortress Stadium or the Mall. And this was back in 2003/2004, so I don't know the situation now.

taseer121

February 15th, 2009, 01:41 PM

no one's answering my question :mad:

Nouman_26

February 28th, 2009, 09:23 AM

Some changes are being made to the design of the Karachi Circular Railway by significantly increasing the elevated portion of the tract, hiking the cost of the much-delayed project by more than one third of a billion dollars, it emerged on Friday.

According to sources, roughly 10 per cent of the nearly 50 kilometres of the KCR tracks were to be elevated to negotiate some 22 level crossings under the earlier plans, but now, with the road network being extensively expanded, almost 40 to 50 per cent of the track will be elevated.

They said that between 20 and 25 kilometres of the elevated portion of the dual railway track would pass through densely populated areas including Gulistan-i-Jauhar, Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Nazimabad, SITE and Baldia.

They added that the cost of the project was earlier estimated at around $872 million, but it was now expected to be somewhere between $1.1 billion and $1.25 billion.

The sources said that a team from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), which is funding the project, was scheduled to come to the country in the next few weeks to meet the Karachi Urban Transport Company (KUTC) and other top officials of the country in this regard.

The sources said that a Japanese development loan was being given at a highly subsidised rate of 0.2 per cent mark-up for the project. The loan was returnable within 40 years, with an initial 10 year grace period, they added.

The sources said that under the project, air-conditioned trains running at between 45 and 60 kilometres per hour would be operating between 5am and midnight, with a gap of around four minutes between trains. There would be approxiRemoval of encroachments from the KCR tracks is said to be one of the major impediments in the implementation of the much-delayed project.— White Star

mately 30 stations, with each stop lasting between 40 seconds and one minute.

They said that some 250 trains powered by electricity, to be obtained from dedicated power generation stations, would be carrying approximately a million passengers a day, with each train having a capacity of approximately 1,700 passengers paying a distance-based fare ranging between Rs7.50 and Rs25. The fares were chosen in order to make the system competitive with the current road-based public transport fares.

The sources said that the 40-kilometre-long Delhi Metro system’s accounts were being used for reference when it came to this project. The Delhi Metro was constructed using a foreign loan of $2.78 billion, which was obtained at a comparatively higher mark-up rate of over 1 per cent.

They said the Delhi system was being used by over 0.6 million commuters every day, and after returning its short-term and long-term loan commitments and all other expenses, it earned a profit of over Rs2.5 billion during the year 2007.

Access to the stations on the KCR would be limited, with commuters only allowed to board trains if they had smart cards or e-tickets, with planners saying this would eliminate the ‘free rider’ problem. All of the tracks would be fenced so that people living along the railway lines were not accidentally run over by the fast-moving trains, said the sources.

At present, a large number of people are killed every year while crossing over unfenced railway tracks – on both sides of which numerous encroachments, katchi abadis and slums have mushroomed – in the city.

The sources said that Karachi commuters, who are held hostage to the exploitive transport mafia that is aided by the corrupt and inefficient administration, would switch over to the comparatively quicker KCR trains – which will complete the entire 50-kilometre distance in around 60 to 70 minutes – if the fare structure was prepared realistically and was within the reach of commuters.

They said that Karachi was among the few mega cities which did not have its own railway-based mass transit system and commuters had to travel in buses and minibuses, the majority of which were poorly maintained and harmed the environment with poisonous emissions. They said commuters currently had to endure subhuman conditions, sometimes even sitting on the roofs of buses and vans.

Responding to Dawn’squeries, the KUTC managing director, Ejaz Khilji, said that some changes like enhancing the elevated portion of the track were being incorporated in the initial KCR project, which could enhance the cost slightly and a JICA team had visited the country a few days back. He said another JICA team was scheduled to visit the country in connection with the project in the second week of March.

source: http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/Dawn%20Content%20Library/dawn/the-newspaper/local/karachi+proposed+kcr+design+changes+set+to+increase+project+cost

rahim.katchi

February 28th, 2009, 11:29 AM

^^ They did not mention when the project is suppoesd to start. I have travelled through delhi metro and if they can have it in much congested areas like Chandni Chowk and Pahaar Ganj than its piece of cake for karachi.

Khanrak

March 3rd, 2009, 07:51 AM

That article makes it sound like Karachi is actually doing its homework in preparation for restarting the KCR. Usually, these articles talk about the project for 3 sentences, and then just talk about some unrelated political ranting. But, I still won't get my hopes up for KCR :( Still, if it ever gets underway, and they choose to elevate 40-50% of it, then i'll regard this as a major success.

Nouman_26

March 13th, 2009, 10:13 AM

The Capital Development Authority (CDA) Thursday took up the issue of establishing a comprehensive and reliable mass transit system, one of the most irksome issues confronting people of the twin cities.

In order to review the feasibility of ‘Rapid Mass Transit System’ for the twin cities, a CDA Chairman Tariq Mahmood Khan chaired a meeting. A Swedish firm M/s Rejlers along with its local partners M/s NESPAK and Ms/ Cosmic Holdings will be involved in the project.

Director (Traffic Engineering) Azam Khan Lodhi while briefing the meeting about the project said that an international tender was floated in the international media in response to which five firms have submitted their bids for establishing a rapid mass transit system of international standard.

“M/s Rejlers, a firm from Sweden, submitted the lowest financial bid in addition to its technical expertise and experience, has been selected out of the five bidders for the project after detailed scrutiny,” he said.

He said that the basic points of the feasibility have been met and now the CDA and M/s Rejlers are expected to reach an agreement within next few days adding the PC-II of the project has been approved but it would take at least another eight months to complete the feasibility study of the project.

“M/s Rejlers and its local partners will now come up with the detailed feasibility study of the project in which they will see how to manoeuvre, especially in Rawalpindi. For the Rawalpindi part it would be somewhat tricky because there is hardly enough space in shape of ‘right of way’ available to lay a ‘surface rapid mass transit system’ while in Islamabad we have plenty of space for laying a surface system,” Azam Lodhi told ‘The News.’

“But it would be up to the contractors and they will see how they will go about this project of great importance with a futuristic approach. They will prepare the plan, both for Rawalpindi and Islamabad, keeping in view the future requirements of the residents of the twin cities. Once that feasibility would be submitted then the CDA will thrash that and take a final decision for approval following which the work will start on the project,” he said.

The CDA chairman said that the project of ‘Rapid Mass Transit System’ is of great importance, which must be initiated early. He directed the concerned department to remove all hurdles coming in the way of the project.

“The citizens of the twin cities desperately need facility of international standard. However, in the meantime, alternative means should be adopted to overcome the problems being faced by people commuting between the twin cities on daily basis,” he said.

He also directed the Planning Wing to plan and demarcate places for the transport stations and asked that detailed recommendations on financial and administrative affairs of such projects should be submitted to the CDA Board for approval.

“Applications for running an effective bus service in the twin cities before the completion of ‘Rapid Mass Transit System’ should be invited and if necessary this could be managed on public partnership. The authority may also take steps to hold the administrative control of such a bus service,” the CDA chairman told the meeting.

source: http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=166915

J_Sultan

July 31st, 2009, 05:41 AM

8,000 CNG buses in major cities by 2010

Friday, July 31, 2009
ISLAMABAD: The federal government has initiated the implementation of its project of launching Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses in all major cities of the country. The project would be completed by the end of the year 2010.

A senior official of the Ministry of Environment on Thursday that the government is implementing the project on priority basis and it has already been initiated in Karachi by the City District Government.

Regarding financial support to the provinces, the official said the federal government would provide support to the local governments and has adopted a uniform policy for the purpose. He said the buses would be operated under Project Implementation Monitoring Unit.

According to the plan, Rs2.5 billion has already been allocated for Karachi, where a project of 500 CNG buses would be completed and a pilot project has already been launched this week. He said special high pressure gas stations would also be established that would save time. The operators of such gas stations would be given subsidy to encourage them, the official said.

brightside.

July 31st, 2009, 08:24 PM

We're really doing an awesome job when it comes to implementing CNG :banana:

We're the best in the world when it comes to it, for once we achieved an epic win.

sourierservice

August 5th, 2009, 04:05 AM

http://www.express.com.pk/images/NP_KHI/20090805/Sub_Images/1100685799-1.jpg
http://www.express.com.pk/images/NP_KHI/20090805/Sub_Images/1100685799-2.gif

Ahmad Rashid Ahmad

January 24th, 2010, 09:34 PM

To improve public transport system, the government approved Private-Public Partnership Environment Friendly Public Transport system for major urban centres of Pakistan with a total cost of Rs 5 billion, sources told Daily Times here on Saturday.

This transport system would be initiated in 10 major cities including Karachi, Lahore, Quetta, Peshawar, Faisalabad, Multan, Rawalpindi/Islamabad, Hyderabad, Gujranwala and Sukkur. The buses will be operated and maintained by private investors under the government’s defined regulatory framework duly assisted by provincial governments in provision of routes, provision of depots, land infrastructure and CNG stations.

Sources said that the CNG buses project was a modified umbrella PC-I, envisaging provision of 8,000 dedicated CNG buses in major cities of the country. The scheme would address the public transport problems besides improving environmental conditions. The federal government would meet the interest component (partial) of the capital cost of buses to be inducted on leasing from financial institutions by the private sector bus investors. Out of the 8,000 buses, 4,000 would be earmarked for Karachi and 4,000 buses would be for the rest of the nine mega cities.

With fixed bus price of Rs 3.6 million and the bank interest rate of 10 percent per annum, the cost of interest subsidy over 5 years worked out at Rs 677,181 per bus. Overall progress on the project initially remained slow due to the fact that the only incentive of subsidising the interest component appeared to bus investors as an invisible or indirect subsidy. For effective implementation of the project and in order to attract greater participation of bus investors, Planning Commission sought approval of the cabinet to provide upfront grant of Rs 300,000 per bus to meet interest subsidy and to pay balance amount of Rs 377,181 by the investor over the repayment period of 5 years.

The cabinet in its meeting held on July 16, 2008 accorded its approval. It was also decided that the Ministry of Environment would oversee the implementation of the scheme by ensuring that all the stakeholders, especially the chief ministers of the provinces, were fully on board and provide the essential pre-requisites for the success of this scheme. In pursuance of the above decision of the cabinet, Ministry of Environment as sponsoring agency has prepared the present PC-I to meet the interest subsidy of Rs 5 billion over a period of 5 years for induction of 4,000 CNG dedicated buses in Karachi and the remaining 4,000 CNG buses in others nine mega cities.

The Central Development Working Party (CDWP) in its meeting in April 2009 recommended the revised umbrella project for 10 mega cities of the country on Public-Private Partnership (PPP) basis for approval of Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC). The ENCNEC in its meeting on January 21 approved the project. It also recommend for proper implementation plan for approval of sub-projects in major cities, route planning, land use, provision of CNG high pressure stations other than Karachi and other allied components/ social/ physical required for effective implementation of the scheme would be developed. To encourage local bus manufacturing industry, diesel buses to be converted into CNG system should also be included in the revised scheme, the sources maintained.

sourierservice

January 25th, 2010, 09:30 AM

^^ kab ayengi :bash: jabse aye hain salay bijli,gas,flour,sugar,buses pe ullo he bana rhae hain..her week 8000 buses ki news dedete hain :bash:

Ahmad Rashid Ahmad

January 25th, 2010, 07:23 PM

^^:bash:

Chalo, umeed tou hai.........

PakiDoperz

January 25th, 2010, 08:20 PM

whats the point of getting CNG buses if you dont even have cng for cars

PAKONE

February 24th, 2010, 07:33 PM

Whichever city I visit in Pakistan the repuatation of buses in my eyes get worse and worse. They all look outdated, over-used, polluted and in need of a modern touch. (Maybe the mods should consider launching a separate TOPIC reagrding THE BUS/COACH INDUSTRY)

Take a look at the new buses being launched in Delhi by the Delhi Transport Corporation. I know we should compare, but you have to admit. Wow, these are the ones I see in Europe and UK.

6dg0Jz8Kmc0

Karachi CNG Buses look pretty good tho.
EZBE2Ls7jSw

taseer121

February 25th, 2010, 01:56 AM

^^do they really run in Karachi?? cuz' I've never seen them on TV.

sourierservice

February 25th, 2010, 02:36 AM

:rant::poke:^^:

yeah..on 3 routes (25 buses per route) with a flat rate of 15 & from some bus stop Rs.10.. E-Ticketing & Prepaid card facility, stop to stop loading of passengers..built by HINO & DAEWOO :lol: Inaugrated by Syed Mustafa Kamal, Mayor of Karachi & Doctor Ishrat Ul Ibaad Khan, Governer of Sindh..
there r 2 Terminals for these buses..1st in Surjani sector 5 ,2nd in Baldia..

anything else u wanna know??:cheers::lol:

PAkIst4(\)I

February 25th, 2010, 07:52 AM

taseer121

February 27th, 2010, 08:40 PM

^^good one :lol:

Abhishek901

April 27th, 2010, 12:26 AM

sourierservice

April 27th, 2010, 12:41 AM

Are there local train services in Karachi/Lahore running on main lines ? I think that can be a quick measure to solve transport issues with very little additional investment. Tracks and stations are already there, only some new trains would be required.

:lol::lol: yes..track & stations r already there :) even our jungli dogs will not like to sit there :lol: 90% of stations r in very bad condition

sourierservice

April 27th, 2010, 12:46 AM

"Amount has been transferred..We r giving 0.7 million subsidy on each bus..All legal work will be done till june..& 400 new buses will be running on karachi streets in august.."

When I switched on my tv today..i heard that..dont know the person..i think he was secretary to Wazir E Aala Sindh :lol:

Abhishek901

April 27th, 2010, 09:55 AM

:lol::lol: yes..track & stations r already there :) even our jungli dogs will not like to sit there :lol: 90% of stations r in very bad condition

I meant that civil structures are there and it is not that expensive to refurbish them compared to building whole new structure. Only problem will be connectivity to roads as the rail lines are slightly away from roads but that can be solved by starting feeder bus service to the stations from nearby areas.

brightside.

April 27th, 2010, 07:12 PM

Nothing except a proper underground metro system can solve Karachi's transport problem. Right now we have 4 kinds of buses here.

1. Multi-colored minibuses (most are extremely overcrowded during rush hour)
2. Metro Buses (again they are overcrowded but at least people can't sit on the roof or dangle from them)
3. Huge private buses (least overcrowded and used for traveling to/from Karachi suburbs)
4. CNG Green Buses (very nice buses but EXTREMELY overcrowded at all times)

So I pretty much hate the transport situation in Karachi. The Karachi circular railway is too inconvenient for the middle class.

Karachi is improving it's road network in a big way but alongside that something really must be done to introduce a good metro rail system here. But it is a task too formidable and requiring too much competence for our current politicians.

Abhishek901

April 27th, 2010, 07:46 PM

Yeah, metro is an absolute necessity for a megacity and that too a growing one. Govt may keep on delaying it and may look for easier interim alternatives but sooner or later, they will have to go for metro.

Delhi too got its first metro line when its population was more than 14 million (2002), though it had widest roads in the country but still roads alone can't support a growing city forever. Govt there took so long to realize the need for the metro but after that it has been going at a breakneck speed in constructing more than 400 km of metro in less than 20 years. Same thing is happening in Chinese cities too. I guess same can happen in Karachi also. Govt may get late in starting but may finish it at a fast pace.

I suggested suburban rail on mainlines only as an interim measure by the time a big network of metro starts dotting Karachi's roads.

brightside.

April 27th, 2010, 09:22 PM

Delhi has a very impressive metro train network considering the development level of our region. I always give its example in discussions about transport problems of Karachi. But over here it is a political issue as well. Most buses in Karachi are owned by Pathan's who came to Karachi in the 70s-80s from Peshawar etc and they are a full fledged powerful mafia now. Nobody wants to piss them off, and they even have political support in the form of the ANP party. They do not want to see any metro system implemented here for fear of losing their business. I know the mods won't like it if I keep elaborating on this, but it is a fact, and only a strong government which uses logic rather than votebank politics to think about problems can solve it.

A-TOWN BOY

April 27th, 2010, 09:36 PM

^^ can't the pathans have less kids to solve the problems in the long run?

sourierservice

April 28th, 2010, 11:12 PM

sourierservice

July 30th, 2010, 07:03 AM

http://express.com.pk/images/NP_KHI/20100730/Sub_Images/1101012608-1.jpg

Ahmad Rashid Ahmad

July 30th, 2010, 09:23 PM

The City District Government Karachi (CDGK) Transport and Communication Department (T&CD) might scrap the procurement process of further CNG buses due to paucity of adequate funds.

The total cost of adding 21 CNG buses to the existing fleet of 75 was estimated at Rs 63 million while the CDGK had twice invited tenders for the buses and had also received bids from the interested investors.

Earlier, the CDGK had cancelled the lowest bid on reasons that the successful bidder could not furnish certificates of a strong financial position and the technical ability to run the bus fleet. Thus, the tenders were invited again and the bids were received for the final settlement. However, the bids received were discarded and the onward procedures were sent to the files for good on the pretext of lack of funds.

City Administrator Fazlur Rehman recently vowed that the CDGK would not close down any development projects in the city because of paucity of funds.

The T&CD for the fiscal year 2010-11 has 26 development schemes for which Rs 616.500 million have been allocated. It is pertinent to mention that the department has 114 traffic signals to look after and Rs 26 million have been allocated just for the maintenance and repair of these 114 traffic signals.

While talking to Daily Times, T&CD Executive District Officer Iftikhar Qaimkhani said the CDGK T&CD has not yet dropped the scheme of procuring the new CNG buses but due to lack of the required cash flow, the scheme could not be completed during the last fiscal year.

He added the scheme has been included in the 2010-11 budget with certain possibilities including that either the provincial government would provide the required sum of money or private investors might come forward, whom the CDGK would fully support or even the CDGK might earn enough revenue to fulfil the task itself.

“We have to wait until December to see if the CDGK gets the required revenue or else the project would further linger on until the required revenue is in hand,” commented Qaimkhani.

IndiaAndBharat

September 22nd, 2010, 07:18 PM

Watching some updates about the KCR and Lahore Merto in some papers. Could not see that through for busy schedule. Any update on that front??

Ahmad Rashid Ahmad

September 22nd, 2010, 07:28 PM

Watching some updates about the KCR and Lahore Merto in some papers. Could not see that through for busy schedule. Any update on that front??

Both are on paper only....

ashwa

September 23rd, 2010, 10:22 PM

Is there any city in Pakistan which has a BRT system? or are there any plans to introduce it?

sathya_226

September 24th, 2010, 10:58 AM

which all Pakistani cities are planning to build metro rails?
can any one give us an update....

oogabooga

September 24th, 2010, 01:15 PM

Is there any city in Pakistan which has a BRT system? or are there any plans to introduce it?

Nope and ummmm................no ma'am. :laugh:

which all Pakistani cities are planning to build metro rails?
can any one give us an update....

Lahore, Islamabad and Karachi. Lahore I would say is probably most likely to break ground on a Metro system before Karachi. Whereas Islamabad will probably be last amongst the three to get a Metro, IF it ever does!

Honestly though, I dont see it happening anywhere in Pakistan anytime soon.

Strong Hearted

September 24th, 2010, 01:54 PM

which all Pakistani cities are planning to build metro rails?
can any one give us an update....

Yes my friend as booga said Lahore, Karachi & Islamabad/Rawalpindi ! but these massive floods will not allow the economy to bear such costly & mega projects for few years! I dont see them happening very soon now!:(

Abhishek901

September 24th, 2010, 05:55 PM

^^ But aren't the floods regular affair in sub-continent ? Or they were more severe this time ?

Aashiq

September 24th, 2010, 06:07 PM

Over 50 billion dollars of damage were caused by the floods, over 20 million people left homeless. Bridges, roads, rail roads all gone. If that's not severe then I don't know what is.

brightside.

September 24th, 2010, 07:23 PM

Lahore was getting pretty serious about it. A few pages ago there was info on the plans for the LRMTS trains. But unfortunately due to the devastating floods, all such plans will be on hold for a couple of years.

sathya_226

September 24th, 2010, 08:29 PM

so sad to hear that.. cities in south Asia has do something desperately to manage the traffic woes of its big cities or else its gonna be catastrophic... Even i heard Dhaka is also on its way to building a metro net work....

Strong Hearted

September 24th, 2010, 09:17 PM

oogabooga

September 25th, 2010, 01:05 PM

^^ But aren't the floods regular affair in sub-continent ? Or they were more severe this time ?

Well the recent floods are the worst ever natural disasters in the history of Pakistan, I guess one line is enough to describe how severe these are actually :)

One little factoid describes the recent floods better than any other! The recent floods in Pakistan effected an area the size of ENGLAND! :shocked:

shut it booginder. :sly:

mainoo no say nothing :(

hero g

September 26th, 2010, 03:18 AM

CNG Buses in Pakistan
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nAUStZ5Hhm8/SGXBPScO2HI/AAAAAAAAAV0/V16bg7U3t94/s400/Bus.gif

http://nsahmed.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/7-july-cng-buses-introduced-by-cdgk-in-karachi.jpg

The car below is "ALF",
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v710/vltq/alf_paki.jpg

Abhishek901

September 26th, 2010, 09:50 AM

^^ Separate exits for ladies and gents ??

brightside.

September 26th, 2010, 10:43 AM

^^ Yes, our buses are always extremely overcrowded. The conservative people here do not want their women to be groped/grinding on other dudes, which is why there are separate sections for men/women. Although I've noticed that during rush hour, men are allowed onto the women section as well.

CNG Buses in Pakistan
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nAUStZ5Hhm8/SGXBPScO2HI/AAAAAAAAAV0/V16bg7U3t94/s400/Bus.gif

Oh bhai, ye bus Liverpool, UK ki hai. Iss pe likha hua bhi hai, still you posted it as a Karachi CNG bus? :hahano:

PakNorway

October 19th, 2010, 10:36 AM

I have never seen seperate sections for women in buses in Punjab.

abidi2009

October 19th, 2010, 12:07 PM

^^Indian Puinjab?? :lol:

Nouman_26

November 21st, 2010, 09:46 AM

Capital Development Authority (CDA) will award the contract for conducting a feasibility study for the Rapid Mass Transit Project (RMTP) in the twin cities. The decision which was going to be taken after Eid would be a step in the direction of setting up of a more efficient system for inter-city movement.

Officials from CDA said that two firms had already been finalised for the purpose. “After open tendering, files of two potential companies have been forwarded to the CDA Board which would discuss the candidates in the next meeting,” an official said.

The Chairman CDA Imtiaz Inayat Elahi had gone to Saudia Arabia for Hajj, but the meeting is going to be held upon his return, where the candidates would be approved, they added.

Two firms, one Spanish and another Austrian and German consortium have been selected after tendering. The contract for the study would be awarded to one of them keeping in view the financial and technical expertise. Sources said that other than the feasibility study, the construction cost of the project would be around Rs400 million.

This is not for the first time such a project has been brought into discussion.

The civic authority had earlier awarded the feasibility study of RMTP to Rejler, a Swedish firm, which later backed out citing security concerns. The project had been approved by former chairman CDA Kamran Lashari in 2008, but could not be materialised during his period.

Later, the official had contended that new firms would start conducting the study soon after awarding the contract and it would take at least eight months for completion.

The study would be based on underground, on ground and overhead travelling facilities between the twin cities. The new firm would collect and review the planning and transportation data and the future transportation requirement.

Transportation continues to be a major challenge for the residents, as well as the city managers of the twin cities. The problem is expected to worsen in the coming years, with the increase in population. “For the people of nearby areas, Rawalpindi and Islamabad are attractive in terms of jobs and standard of living, forcing many to migrate here,” said an official. “Moreover, with the 2005 earthquake, war on terror and now floods, the flow of internally displaced persons has increased and is expected to cause the population to further grow,” he added.

According to some reports, population of the twin cities is growing at a rate of more than four per cent per annum. This is higher than the national growth indicating significant increase in migration to the twin cities.

Source: http://tribune.com.pk/story/79558/cda-to-award-contract-for-mass-transit-project/

Aashiq

November 21st, 2010, 10:51 AM

Good news for Isloo and Pindi but will they have the same fate as Lahore's and Karachi's mass transits?

siamu maharaj

November 21st, 2010, 06:32 PM

This will be the thousandth mass transit study in Pakistan.

Aadil.Aijaz

November 21st, 2010, 06:43 PM

And the billionth time we're hearing about it.

oogabooga

November 22nd, 2010, 12:40 AM

Im telling you guys! We can make good money sellings studies on mass transit to the rest of the world! Shit with all the studies we've done, we should be the worlds most knowledgeable people when it comes to mass transit. :crazy:

Strong Hearted

November 22nd, 2010, 08:54 AM

Ahmad Rashid Ahmad

December 8th, 2010, 04:30 PM

The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has planned to launch a new bus service by March next to meet the growing needs of commuters, traveling between the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi. A CDA official informed Pakistan Today on Monday that two local firms had pre-qualified to run 35 buses on four proposed routes likely to be approved in the next meeting of civic body’s Board of Directors.
He said the successful bidder would get interest free government loan to purchase buses, each having the seating capacity of 70 people. He added the proposed routes would include Faizabad to Secretariat, Faizabad to sector F-11, sector I-10 to Secretariat and Bara Kahu to Aabpara Market. He further said the CDA had allocated 21 acres of land to establish a bus terminal for the proposed bus service at sector I-11.

Ahmad Rashid Ahmad

January 4th, 2011, 07:04 PM

District Coordination Officer (DCO) Karachi Muhammad Hussain Syed has directed city government’s Mass Transit Cell (MTC) to pay special attention on Benazir Shaheed CNG Bus Project so that the transport problems in Karachi could be resolved soon.

Addressing a meeting of the MTC in Civic Centre on Monday, he said, the project holds much importance for the city and, therefore, it should be given practical shape as only the new plying on roads would restore the trust of citizens in the government.

Earlier, MTC Director General Malik Zaheer-ul-Islam gave a detailed briefing on the project. He informed that a total of 14 private firms had taken part in the pre-qualification process including nine Chinese, three Pakistani and one each of Korean and German company out of which six companies had qualified for the project. A Chinese firm had showed readiness for bringing in 50 buses on roads in six months.

He further informed that under this project, a total of 4,000 CNG buses had been planned to be inducted into the city’s public transport system in five years. Already a sum of Rs 300 million had been transferred from the federal government for this purpose. According to the plan, 1,300 buses would come in city by December 2013 and another 1,200 by December 2013 while rest of buses would be brought into the city by December 2014.

He said though the city government would act as a controlling authority for the project, all stakeholders would also be taken on board. A special cell would monitor this project.

The meeting was also informed that a total of 500 to 1,000 CNG buses planned to be brought into the city on immediate basis. A contractor would have to bring at least 25 buses on roads. Under the plan the government will pay a subsidy of Rs 677,181 per bus out of which Rs 300,000 will be paid right away and the rest of the amount will be disbursed in five years. The government has also decided to waive 15 percent of customs duty on these buses.

The DCO on this occasion directed MT to device a comprehensive strategy and policy for this project and remove all faults in advance because there was no time for experiments anymore.

He also directed officers to take this project on priority basis so that these buses could come into the city as soon as possible.

peeru

January 9th, 2011, 08:26 AM

LAHORE – Daewoo Pakistan Express is starting bus service from Okara Cantt for 9 cities, Lahore, Karachi, Hyderabad, Moro, Sakkhar, Rahim Yar Kahn, Bahawalpur, Multan and Khanewal, from January 14, 2011, says a Press release.
GM Operations Daewoo Express Munawwar Saeed said that the servce would be new year’s gift for the citizens of Okara.

Ahmad Rashid Ahmad

February 22nd, 2011, 08:11 PM

Capital Development Authority (CDA) is launching new transport service to mitigate problems of commuters in the capital.

Sources in CDA said on Monday that two transport companies have already been short listed for plying buses on four important routes. He said their requests for proposal will be approved by CDA Board and the project is likely to be materialize in three to four months.

The new transport service is particularly focused to facilitate working class, students and particularly women, he said.

The routes which have been selected include Route-1 from Secretariat to Faizabad via Murree Road, Route-2 from Barakahu to Aabpara, Route-3 from Faizabad to F-11 via Blue Area and Route-4 Sector I-11 to Secretariat.

He said special bus terminals and stops will be built to alleviate transport problems, adding each bus will left the terminal with an interval of five minutes and around 15,000 passengers would use this transport system on daily basis.

However, replying to a question on CNG bus service, he said the project is delayed due to fuel issue and non-availability of CNG stations for huge buses.

:hilarious

brightside.

February 23rd, 2011, 10:52 AM

Its just a bus service, I don't see why that's not perfectly possible. Especially in the well planned Islamabad.

Ahmad Rashid Ahmad

March 31st, 2011, 01:01 AM

-UbbDmzuLBQ

IndiaAndBharat

March 31st, 2011, 06:26 PM

Lahore and Karachi immediately need a rail based transport system. I know that they have planned for it. But is there any update on the KCR and LMRTS?

brightside.

March 31st, 2011, 07:17 PM

Unfortunately, the KCR is not a proper metro rail system, its those big trains running in limited areas or the outskirts, most of the population will/does have to rely on buses in Karachi. Lahore has done the feasibility on a proper metro system, I hope they build it soon, but financing it will be challenging. But its definitely do-able.

Karachi has had a massive upgrade in road infrastructure over the last 5-6 years. I think there must be a 100+ flyovers in the city now, many underpasses, expressways, highways, and old road surfaces relaid. Now I can travel most places without encountering any traffic signals. Now the focus needs to shift to giving Karachi a proper underground and elevated metro rail system. But politics and the transport mafia will have something to say about that.

khanaizaz

April 28th, 2011, 08:59 AM

China Eximbank to lend Pakistan $1.7bn for train system (LRMTS)
WEDNESDAY, 27 APRIL 2011 00:00 0 COMMENTS

ISLAMABAD: The Export-Import Bank of China will loan Pakistan $1.7 billion to develop a city-wide train system in the eastern city of Lahore, a senior Pakistani government official said on Wednesday.

The 15-year loan will be disbursed in the next five years, and negotiations with Eximbank are under way to finalise other details, Khawaja Ahmed Hassan, chairman of the Lahore Transport Company (LTC), said.

"The bank agreed to lend us the money with a two-year grace period, and our aim is to get it at 6 percent interest," he told Reuters.

The Punjab government recently agreed to award the 27 km train line contract project to the Chinese company China North Industries Corp (Norinco). In 2008, a French company had estimated the cost of the project at $2.4 billion.

The Chinese "were very kind and they brought down the cost of the project to $1.7 billion," Hassan said.

He said the project was likely to begin by the end of 2011.

Lahore, the capital of Punjab province, Pakistan's most populous and prosperous province, is home to more than 5 million people.

Officials expect the new transport system, the first of its kind in the country, will substantially decrease road traffic.

"There will be a big change. If we are able to bring here the system which we saw in China, thousands of vehicles (will) eventually go off the road," Hafiz Nauman, a provincial lawmaker and senior member of the LTC, said.

He said another Chinese company will supply 111 buses to the city in June.

Seen as an "all-weather friend" to Pakistan, China has invested heavily in infrastructure development, particularly in the strategic and mineral-rich southwest, bordering Iran and Afghanistan.

China Three Gorges Corp, China's largest hydropower developer, is ready to invest $15 billion in Pakistan's troubled energy sector, an investment that could add 10,000 megawatts to Pakistan's main grid over the next 10 years, a senior company official told Reuters in an interview on April 7.

China is a main supplier of military and defence hardware to Pakistan, and has helped the country build nuclear power plants.

brightside.

April 28th, 2011, 12:41 PM

^^ Looks like the proposed Lahore Metro is gathering steam. Hope it happens. China is the best option to borrow from.

James-Bond

April 30th, 2011, 08:42 AM

This may seem like a good idea now, but $1.7 billion is a lot of money. What if the Subway doesn't work out. What if the construction halts and there is delay. Remember, we have to pay the Export-Import bank back with interest.

But then, This is needed in Lahore, and Karachi (more of Karachi). Its probably is going to be a success and maybe will change Lahore's face.

brightside.

April 30th, 2011, 11:08 PM

The subway cannot fail. You wouldn't be doubting the demand for it if you ever tried to travel around Lahore or Karachi using public transport. The only thing the metro management will need to do is ensure that middle class families also use it, by maybe having separate cars for families. They can also have different prices for different cars on the same train, ensuring that low class people can ride along with middle class people, without any unpleasant incidents.

And Chinese companies will be the most generous in terms of rescheduling payments etc. Also, you're right, Karachi needs a metro system far more than Lahore. But I'll be happy if Lahore gets it, since that will put pressure on the Karachi govt. to act for our own metro.

James-Bond

May 1st, 2011, 01:36 AM

Maybe this may just solve the transport crisis in the two cities of built. I'm surprised Karachi didn't get the deal first. With a population almost 20 Million people, this can solve so much.

Also, I think even bigger priority is finishing the Motorway system across Pakistan. It has been built up to Faisalabad, but the rest might take close to about 15 years. Imagine a Pakistan where you can ride all the way down to Islamabad to Karachi with ease. Inshahlah.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2a/Pakistan_Nationalhighways.PNG/617px-Pakistan_Nationalhighways.PNG

This Map is perfect for indicating how much work is still left. Inshahlah this will be like another Autobahn.

siamu maharaj

May 1st, 2011, 05:16 PM

I'd argue that Lahore needs a metro more than Karachi does.

brightside.

May 1st, 2011, 08:23 PM

Great, why did you wait for someone to ask for justification before presenting it?

siamu maharaj

May 1st, 2011, 08:35 PM

I wasn't expecting someone to ask! But probably because I think there're more buses in Karachi than Lahore.

brightside.

May 1st, 2011, 08:48 PM

In Karachi, people have to dangle on buses, sit on the roof etc. The situation has reached breaking point. Each and every bus is filled far beyond capacity. These days I even notice dudes being loaded into the front section along with women. I don't think its as bad in Lahore.

Not to mention, buses are vulnerable to strikes. With underground/elevated trains, that won't be the case.

Ahmad Rashid Ahmad

May 1st, 2011, 09:48 PM

^^ There are only 133 buses running in Lahore, how many in Karachi???

brightside.

May 1st, 2011, 10:58 PM

Probably thousands, still the shortage is immense.

James-Bond

May 2nd, 2011, 08:04 AM

I'm in favor of Waziristan getting a subway. :D

abidi2009

May 2nd, 2011, 01:15 PM

I think we have 133+ bus routes :p
Like W-11, 5-C, 4-L etc

Only W11's are 1000+

taseer121

May 2nd, 2011, 10:04 PM

^^ Are they nice urban buses or normal Pakistani style buses?

brightside.

May 2nd, 2011, 11:55 PM

^^ Are they nice urban buses or normal Pakistani style buses?

Extremely shitty buses. Shiny new buses turn into shabby pieces of metal on wheels quite quickly.

Dallas1

May 12th, 2011, 09:56 AM

http://express.com.pk/images/NP_LHE/20110512/Sub_Images/1101239164-1.jpg
http://express.com.pk/images/NP_LHE/20110512/Sub_Images/1101239164-2.gif
Good to see Korean business doing well in PK hope they invest more in transportation especially in railways

Ahmad Rashid Ahmad

May 12th, 2011, 09:25 PM

^^ Daewoo is actually going very well now, doing good business...

truckin

May 13th, 2011, 11:27 AM

^^ Daewoo Commercial Vehicle unit is actually owned by TATA. From wiki

Tata Daewoo has a joint venture with Afzal Motors of Pakistan where it manufacturers trucks. Trucks are sold under the Daewoo name in Pakistan and South Korea but sold under the Tata name elsewhere.

Thanks for giving profits to an Indian Company, would love to do more business.

hero g

May 13th, 2011, 04:06 PM

^^ Daewoo Commercial Vehicle unit is actually owned by TATA. From wiki

Thanks for giving profits to an Indian Company, would love to do more business.

it mean u guys can't make anything by ur self, u need help of pak.

brightside.

May 13th, 2011, 04:24 PM

^^ Daewoo Commercial Vehicle unit is actually owned by TATA. From wiki

Does that look like a truck to you in the picture? Buses are not trucks. Btw, do Indian teachers accept wikipedia as a source? Only see Indians providing it as a source online as if it is a reliable place to get facts :lol:

I am sure the profits of buses we buy from Daewoo go to Korea, and nowhere else.

A-TOWN BOY

May 13th, 2011, 05:55 PM

^^ Daewoo Commercial Vehicle unit is actually owned by TATA. From wiki

Thanks for giving profits to an Indian Company, would love to do more business.

if u think that we feel unhappy or pissed about indians profiting from doing business in pakistan, then u've got really low thinking. it reflects how you think about pakistanis doing business in india. on another note, international trade never hurts anyone but both sides benefit from it. its a general concept of macroeconomics in case u didn't know.

Abhishek901

May 13th, 2011, 06:58 PM

^^ Daewoo Commercial Vehicle unit is actually owned by TATA. From wiki

Thanks for giving profits to an Indian Company, would love to do more business.

Stop trolling !!

truckin

May 13th, 2011, 09:50 PM

it mean u guys can't make anything by ur self, u need help of pak.

It's actually a joint venture. Afzal only assembles them only for Pak, not for anyplace else.

Does that look like a truck to you in the picture? Buses are not trucks.

I said COMMERCIAL vehicle division. That includes both buses and trucks. And just in case you didn't know, both trucks and buses have similar chassis, only the body is different.

Btw, do Indian teachers accept wikipedia as a source? Only see Indians providing it as a source online as if it is a reliable place to get facts :lol:

http://www.tata-daewoo.com/ver3/eng/02_main/main.html

I am sure the profits of buses we buy from Daewoo go to Korea, and nowhere else.

If it's owned by Tata, so profits go to the parent company only.

if u think that we feel unhappy or pissed about indians profiting from doing business in pakistan, then u've got really low thinking. it reflects how you think about pakistanis doing business in india. on another note, international trade never hurts anyone but both sides benefit from it. its a general concept of macroeconomics in case u didn't know.

I know. That is why I said thanks. I hope there is more business in the future, better for both sides.

PS: Recently I read that Tata Nano, may be assembled and sold in Pakistan. Also there was talk of importing petro products from India. Looking forward for that.. :cheers:

Aashiq

May 13th, 2011, 11:35 PM

Ok there Pinocchio now off you go.

brightside.

May 14th, 2011, 01:19 AM

Ok there Pinocchio now off you go.

:rofl:

brightside.

May 14th, 2011, 01:24 AM

Btw, I have no problem with trading with India. The more the better I say. But it has to be both ways, there can be no huge trade deficit on one side. India can sell us whatever the govt allows in return for our cement etc. We can get fuel from them because it will be cheaper to import it to areas like Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar etc from India.

Read this article, has very intersting info about Pak-India trade: http://bit.ly/md2kx8

siamu maharaj

May 14th, 2011, 10:28 AM

Now what's wrong with India and Pakistan doing business?

Master of Disguise

May 15th, 2011, 07:14 AM

Ok there Pinocchio now off you go.

Expected something better from you...

Aashiq

August 5th, 2011, 05:58 AM

Chinese firm to run 2,000 CNG buses in Sindh
ISLAMABAD:
Chinese bus manufacturing company Foton Motors will sign a deal with the Sindh government tomorrow (Saturday) to operate 2,000 CNG buses on the roads of the province.
This was informed during a between the President Asif Ali Zardari and a delegation of Foton Motors Group.
The president said that it is a matter of great pleasure that the potential of traditional Pak-China trade was now being translated into economic terms and that Chinese investors were taking keen interest in exploring business opportunities in Pakistan.
The company has designed modern buses for Pakistan to meet specific cultural and demographic needs of the country with environment friendly fuels such as CNG, LPG and hybrid diesel and hydrogen fuel cells.
The president said that the aim is to transform Pakistan into one of the most attractive investment destinations and provide all possible facilitation for promotion of business ventures.
He said there was an urgent need for upgrading the existing transport network in the mega cities which in turn offers great investment opportunities to the national and international investors.
Earlier in the day, Foton Transport Company Beijing entered an agreement to provide 111 CNG buses to Lahore Transport Company within the next few months, according to board of investment.
The board of investment is negotiating with various companies for provision of reliable transport facility in the country, said chairman Saleem H Mandviwalla on Thursday while talking to a delegation of bus company Foton China.
The chairman added that the government was encouraging investment in the country’s transport sector.
Around 200 to 300 CNG/LPG buses have already started operating city to city and inter-city within Sialkot following an agreement with the Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The Vice President of Foton Group ye Zhaoyou, said that the key to Foton’s success was quality and dedication towards their products, adding Foton was a name associated with commitment and perseverance, known worldwide for their traditional quality and excellence of products.
Foton is a commercial vehicle manufacturer ranked number one in Asia and second globally, according to the company’s website. Foton is investing in the automobile and transport sector of Pakistan, Mass Transit System in major cities and assembly line for cars, light/medium and heavy duty trucks as there is a huge potential market available in Pakistan.
with additional input by APP

http://tribune.com.pk/story/224584/chinese-firm-to-run-2000-cng-buses-in-sindh/