Wonderful News - CM agrees to Start Lahore Mass Transit System - Inaugurates CNG Buses Plying

Hopes Revived....... CM Punjab Shahbaz Sharif agrees to start the Lahore Mass Transit Project ....... Indeed very promising moments for good transport facility in the city. But he said the underground train project shall be started witht the assistance of China and Iran..... thats sounds a bit confusing.
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LAHORE-Punjab Chief Minister, Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif has said that public transport system is being improved for providing modern, standardized and comfortable transport facilities to the people, and for this purpose, Lahore Transport Company has been set up while similar transport companies would also be established in other major cities on the same pattern.

He expressed these views while addressing the ceremony of signing of an agreement between the Chinese company and Punjab government regarding provision of buses by a Chinese Company Yunma Aircraft, at Chief Minister’s Secretariat, here on Sunday. On behalf of Punjab government, Secretary Transport and representative of Chinese company signed the agreement. Senior Advisor Sardar Zulfiqar Ali Khan Khosa, Provincial Minister for Finance Tanvir Ashraf Kaira, Minister for Transport Mian Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman, Members National and Provincial Assemblies, Chief Secretary, Secretary Transport, representative of Chinese company and other senior officers were also present on the occasion.

He said that provision of better transport facilities to the people was Punjab Government’s dream, which was being materialised today after signing of an agreement with Chinese company for providing buses. He said that project of provision of better transport facilities to the masses was being launched from Lahore and in this regard a bus service has been inaugurated.

Later, its scope would be expanded to other cities including Rawalpindi, Multan, Sargodha, Faisalabad, Bahawalpur and Sialkot, he added.

He said that the underground Metro Train Project in Lahore would be completed with the consultation and cooperation of Iran and China.

The CM said that the agreement of cooperation in public transport between China and Punjab government was of paramount importance and a proof of mutual confidence between the two countries. He said that under the project of provision of better transport, initially 53 buses will start operating on the roads of Lahore today while 2000 buses would be operated in the city under different phases, out of which, 1000 buses would be air-conditioned so that common man should realize that he has as much right over the resources as that of privilege class.

He said that Chinese company will not only provide buses, but will also operate these buses itself while Punjab government would provide 25 percent subsidy and every possible cooperation would be extended for the success of this project.

He said that China was a great friend of Pakistan and deep-rooted relations existed between the two counties. He said that the agreement regarding public transport between Punjab government and Chinese company would play an important role in further strengthening the ties between both the countries. He said that these buses would had been started operating on the roads of Lahore a long time ago but unfortunately due to Governor’s rule in the province, this project was delayed.

He said that due to the efforts of Provincial Minister for Transport, Chief Secretary, Secretary Transport and the whole team, we have succeeded for practical implementation of the project. He said that under this project, CNG air-conditioned buses would be operated in big cities of Punjab through Public Private Partnership and Punjab government will provide 25 percent subsidy to the private transporters for importing these buses. Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif said that a comprehensive system has been evolved for providing better transport facilities to the people in the big cities of the province and for this purpose negotiations with nine different international companies are underway

He said that the way China has provided technical assistance to Iran in its project of underground Metro Train, should also provide assistance in the project of underground metro train in Lahore. He said that in order to promote economic cooperation between China and Punjab, China Desk has been established in Punjab headed by former Commission Counselor of Pakistan in China, Zafar Mehmood.

Charge De Affairs of Chinese Embassy in Pakistan Mr. Xyo Xeng, addressing the ceremony said that China will extend all possible cooperation in agriculture, livestock, infrastructure, mass transit system and other projects in Pakistan. He said that Chinese company is providing buses for the provision of best transport facilities to the Lahorites. He said that historic relations exist between China and Pakistan and this agreement regarding cooperation in transport sector will prove to be a milestone in the bonds of both the counties.

Provincial Minister for Transport Mian Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman and Secretary Transport also spoke on the occasion. Earlier, Chief Minister launched the CNG Air-conditioned Bus Service by cutting the ribbon and traveled in the bus along with Provincial Ministers, Members National and Provincial Assemblies up to Chief Minister’s Secretariat

http://www.dailywaqt.com/openlink.asp?ddir=290609&im=fp-06.jpg

http://www.bbc.co.uk/urdu/pakistan/2009/06/090629_cng_buses_rr.shtml

LRMTS on Google Maps

A guy name Yasir Niaz has very nicely make a presentation of LRMTS Green Line route on Google Maps and I m pasting it here as its indeed a wonderful effort.
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Hih Speed German Trains

I was there on Hannover Railway Station and took the beautiful pictures of High Speed German Trains called as ICE ........ wow
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Sindh Govt-CDGK Row Delays CNG Buses Project

Ironic .... Same fate for Transport sector....... 60 years of fighting and still going on ............. When our leaders will think of the common man who is suffering..

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KARACHI: The Sindh Assembly was told on Tuesday that a controversy between the provincial and city governments over the mass transit programme had delayed the execution of the CNG buses project for Karachi.

Responding to a question raised by Farheen Mughal and supplementary questions raised by other MPAs during question hour, Transport Minister Akhtar Hussain Jadoon informed the house that despite the row, Sindh would now get 4,000 CNG buses under a federal government national mass transit programme.

About the delay in the establishment of high-pressure CNG filling stations for these buses, the minister said: ‘We now have allotted land for the establishment of five such stations in Karachi at different places, including that on Sharea Faisal.

‘The federal government will give a Rs700,000 subsidy on each bus and soon after the completion of the CNG filling stations, provision of these buses will start,’ he added.
‘In this regard we held a meeting with State Bank officials this month and discussed relevant financial matters,’ the minister said.

In response to a question raised by Husna Aftab, the minister said that the government intended to shift bus stands for intercity vehicles from Karachi to outside the city.

‘These schemes have been sent to the federal government through the planning and development department and if approved and funded in ADP 2009-10, they would be implemented within two years,’ he said

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Karachi. June 17: An interactive and consultative meeting on federal government’s CNG Bus Project was held at the State Bank of Pakistan on 16th June 2009.

The meeting was attended by prequalified operators and suppliers of CNG buses, Officials from Government of Pakistan including Chief Executive LGIP Project Hilal Raza, Advisor Legal Affairs Muhammad Owais, Chief Economist Govt. of Sindh Orangzeb Haque, Asif Masood, Chief Technical Officer ENERCO and representatives of Ministry of Environment, Government of Sindh.

Director General of Karachi Mass Transit Cell, CDGK Malik Zaheer-ul-Islam provided the complete profile of the CNG Bus Project, its modalities and concessions given to the operators.
He said that the federal government had approved a subsidy of Rs.5 billion for this project out of which Rs2.5billion had been accorded for Karachi. According to the modalities 4000 CNG buses will be inducted in Karachi in five years under public private partnership project. In the immediate phase 500-1000 buses will be inducted in Karachi.

He said that Karachi CNG Bus Project will be implemented by CDGK. Already 40 CNG Green Routes have been identified for Karachi Project while the CDGK has also identified Bus Terminals, Bus Depots, Bus Stops and other facilitation of the CNG buses operation.Malik Zaheer said that the construction of new signal free corridors in Karachi would also help in the smooth implementation of the project.

During the meeting Advisor Legal, IPDF comprehensively provided the details of the concession agreement.

Chief Executive of HDIP Hilal Raza explained his commitment to provide and facilitate the provisioning and support for the CNG filling stations.
The participants of the meeting specially pre qualified operators/investors/suppliers and manufacturers of CNG bues appreciated the homework done by the Karachi Mass Transit Cell, CDGK in consultation and support of IPDF, HDIP and ENERCON for smooth implementation of the project.

Chief Economist Government of Sindh, Aurangzeb Haque assured all kinds of support and help for the project from the Government of Sindh and called it a project in the interest of the city.
Director Banking Policy and Regulation Syed Irfan Ali also spoke on this occasion. He reminded the bankers about the banking and social responsibilities of bankers.

This may be noted that the federal cabinet in its meeting on 16th July 2008 endorsed the project and also extended some additional comforts in favor of the operators under the Prime Minister’s Green Transport Scheme for ten major cities of Pakistan including Karachi, Lahore, Quetta, Peshawar, Faisalabad, Multan, Rawalpindi/Islamabad, Hyderabad, Gujranwala and Sukkur.

The President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari had during his visit to Karachi on 20th April 2009 issued directives for implementation of this program as “Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Bus Project” and to introduce 500 buses by December 2009

Swedish Firm Declines to Conduct Feasibility Study on RMTS

ISLAMABAD: A firm hired by the Capital Development Authority (CDA) for conducting feasibility study on Rapid Mass Transit System (RMTS) has declined to work citing security reasons therefore the CDA is likely to hire a new firm for the project.

M/S Reklers, a Swedish firm, was selected by CDA a few months ago for conducting feasibility study on RMTS but two weeks ago, the firm declined to work at present, citing deteriorating law and order situation in the country, an official told Daily Times on Monday. He said the CDA had sent a letter to the firm asking it when, if not at present, it could start work.

“If the firm doesn’t clear the situation within the next few days, the Authority will hire a new firm for the project,” he said. He said the CDA high-ups had decided that the project would not be delayed because traffic problems were increasing. The CDA had allocated Rs 70 million for feasibility study on RMTS in budget 2008-09 and it will also make allocations for the project in budget 2009-10, he said.

He said the feasibility study would cover underground, on-ground and overhead travelling facilities between the twin cities and the stipulated time for it is eight months. He said according to a study conducted by the CDA, private transport is the major means of mobility for citizens between the two cities as 1,600 vans and minibuses are plying on 16 routes.

There is no organised bus service and the level of service offered by private transporters is far below any acceptable standard

Dubai Metro Testing

Dubai Metro is about to Launch - Way to Go Dubaiites
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Some facts about the project are

Completion: The Metro is scheduled to partially open by September 2009 and be fully completed by 2012.Stations along the route:There will be a total of 47 stations (in addition to station on the extension lines). The Red Line will have 29 stations, including 24 elevated, four underground and one at ground-level.

This line is 52.1 km long, including 4.7 km underground. The Green Line will have 18 stations, including 12 elevated and 6 underground. The Green Line is 22.5 km long, including 7.9 km underground. There will be two transfer stations — Union Square and the BurJuman Centre. At the transfer stations, Green and Red Lines will cross each other and passengers will be able to change between lines. Work on metro stations will continue into 2008.

All elevated stations on the Red Line will be completed by the beginning of 2008, while the underground stations will be complete by early 2009. Car parkings for rail users Car parking facility will be provided to metro users on the concept of "park and ride". There will be two major parking lots on Red Line — one at Rashidiya Station for 3,000 cars and at Jumeirah Islands Station for another 3,000 cars. The biggest parking lot will be built at Al Qusais Station with a capacity of 6,000 cars. It will cater to users coming from Sharjah.

There will be small parking spaces at each station while each station will be linked to other mode of transportation, including taxis, buses and at some stations water transport. Depot for maintence There will be three main train depot to park and do maintenance work on trains. The Red Line will have a main depot in Rashidiya and one auxiliary depot at Jebel Ali Free Zone.

On the Green Line, the main depot for train parking and maintenance will be in Al Qusais area. Extension of lines Extension of Dubai Metro's Red Line is currently under design. It will be extended from Jebel Ali Free Zone to Dubai-Abu Dhabi border an additional 12 km. The RTA is reviewing a plan to extend the Red Line from Jebel Ali to the under construction Jebel Ali Airport, but is still not finalised. Extension plans on the Green Line have already been approved and it has already been extended by about 4.9 km from Healthcare City to Al Jaddaf.

The Green Line was initially designed for 17.6 km, but now it is 22.5-km long. Adjacent bus and taxi stationsAll main metro stations will have adjacent bus stations as part of the integrated transport system which will include buses, taxis as well as water transport links at stations near the creek.

The RTA is planning to introduce an integrated card system, the Smart Card, that will enable passengers to travel on trains, buses and water transport, as well as use the parking areas. Construction of viaducts for elevated tracks A viaduct is a bridge, which is placed over piers to make a track for the train.

The construction of viaduct spans for the Dubai Metro has started on Shaikh Zayed Road near Interchange 5.5 near Ibn Battuta Mall. Each of these viaduct spans is being made up with a minimum of eight pre-cast viaduct deck segments, which are manufactured and transported from Jebel Ali casting yard.

Each segment of viaduct, 10 metres wide and four metres in length, is being assembled with other similar sized segments individually to form a complete viaduct span bridging across two supporting piers. Different spans together when assembled will form the bridge deck upon which the trains will travel. There will be 11,400 pre-cast concrete viaduct deck segments to be used for the Red Line. Each viaduct weighs about 50 tonnes. Luxurious interior The interior of the trains is based on a water and air theme and every train will have five compartments.

Every train will have three classes – The Golden Class (VIP), the Women and Children's Class and the Silver Class (economy). The Golden Class will have a luxurious interior with leather seating. The Women and Children's compartments will have plenty of space for strollers and bags to ensure a safe and comfortable journey.

The Silver Class has been finished in a combination of blues and greens. Seating is arranged in a variety of ways giving passengers the choice between admiring views through windows or chatting with friends. All compartments will have reserved wheelchair spaces for special needs people. There will be a policy of priority seating for elderly, injured, special needs people and pregnant women. The compartments will be equipped with audio visual devices.

Visual and audio announcement facilities will be available to serve people, especially those with special needs. Clear signage will show the route map of the metro and other directions for passengers. A variety of safety devices, including closed circuit television in all trains will ensure a safe and comfortable journey for all.

http://archive.gulfnews.com/indepth/dubaimetro/sub_story/10306603.html

High-Speed Commuter Train Sets off in England

I saw on BBC the video of this High Speed Train being launched there, Wow its great. True advancement on Rail speeds
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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8106429.stm

Tunnel Construction Site Visit

I visited a tunnel construction site arranged by my university and I think a similar methodology shall be adopted if Lahore Mass Transit is going to be built.

Chinese Firm Ready to Provide CNG buses

KARACHI (June 11 2009): To solve the traffic problems in the city a Chinese Company has shown its interest to provide CNG-powered buses for metropolis plying on different routes. According to a press release issued by City Council Naib Nazim Secretariat on Wednesday, the country manager for Pakistan Angel Zhai, of Anhui Ankai Automobile Co Ltd, a China based company, in a meeting with the City Naib Nazim, Nasreen Jalil, shown interest to introduce the CNG buses made by the company, in the metropolis.

The manager of the foreign company informed the Naib Nazim that the company's CNG buses are fully equipped to save the passengers from the accidents. While talking to the company's representatives, Nasreen Jalil, also said that City District Government Karachi (CDGK) has already purchased at least 50 CNG buses from two different companies which would be operational in the mid of July 2009. She said these buses would be run on two routes from Sarjani to Tower and Tower to Gulistan-e-Joahar while the parking areas for these buses are also arranged

KCR Revival Project Reviewed

KARACHI (June 07 2009): Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) Revival Programme came under discussion at a meeting held under the chairmanship of Sindh Chief Secretary Fazlur Rehman here Saturday.

On the reservation expressed by MD Karachi Urban Transport Company (KUTC), the Chief Secretary entrusted DCO Karachi Javed Hanif Khan and Divisional Superintendent Railway Mir Mohammed Khaskheli with the responsibility to prepare a factual report of encroachments on the land of Pakistan Railway so that an effective strategy could be adopted.

According to another decision, the concerned provincial departments and City Government Karachi were tasked to identify 200-300 acres of land for KCR resettlements on the pattern of Lyari Expressway Resettlement Programme so that KCR project is smoothly carried out.

CNG Buses Soon Be On Karachi Roads - At Last

Govt pins hopes on bank financing

KARACHI: Much-needed CNG-powered buses will start plying on 40 designated routes in the city any time during the next financial year as the ground work for the launching of the scheme has been completed in all respects, according to well-placed city government officials.
The government was now looking to the banking sector to offer financial packages to the public transport operators interested in bringing the CNG buses to the city, said sources privy to the Karachi Mass Transit Cell.

The sources said that almost every aspect of inducting the environment-friendly CNG buses under the public-private partnership had been discussed and proposed facilities documented to attract private parties to the venture. ‘Now banks are being approached for financing the exclusive CNG bus scheme on a priority basis as part of their corporate and social responsibility,’ they added.

For more than four years, government functionaries have been stressing that induction of CNG buses into the city’s public transport fleet is the best solution to the growing transport demand, travel delays, severe traffic congestion, clumsy routes, alarming levels of noise and air pollution and vehicular emission.

The Director-General of the city government’s Karachi Mass Transit Cell, Malik Zaheer-ul-Islam, told Dawn that the federal, provincial and city governments had acted jointly in this direction and completed the homework.

‘I have been working on the scheme for some year. I am now optimistic that the CNG buses will start plying on 40 designated routes any time during the next financial year,’ he said.
Recently, the federal government approved financial support on a public-private partnership basis. Interested bus operators will be offered a package that includes an interest subsidy on loans/lease amount obtained from banks or financial institutions for the procurement of CNG buses, according to Mr Islam. He said that between 500 and 1,000 CNG buses were expected to be brought to the city roads in the first phase under a special plan which would also be replicated in nine other major cities of the country.

Existing bus fleet obsolete

Public transport and mass transit facilities providing a swift and hassle-free travel to citizens has been a pressing issue of Karachi, a city of 18 million people having an urban sprawl of about 3,500 square kilometres.

It is estimated that about 11,900 mostly obsolete buses of varying sizes and shapes ply on about 255 routes, which overlap considerably with each other. The existing bus fleet is not only very old but is also insufficient for a big city like Karachi. The buses have diesel-operated engines and are responsible for the increasing environmental pollution.

According to a study conducted by the Japan International Cooperation Agency around 6.9 million people used public transport vehicles, 2.3 million motorcycles and 3.3 million cars in 2008.