Lahore Mass Transit Land acquisition will be Complete in 2010-11

I was wondering despite the recent hue n cry about this project, there was no news about it in the Punjab budget but finally hear it now
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LAHORE, June 16: Land acquisition along ‘green line’ corridor or the first phase of the Lahore Rapid Mass Transit System (LRMTS) project will be complete during the 2010-11 fiscal year.

Transaction preparation for procurement of works for implementation of the top-priority corridor will also be complete besides removal or relocation of utilities infrastructure by Lesco, Wasa, PTCL, SNGPL and NTC, according to the 2010-11 budget document.

The Punjab government intended to seek assistance from the Asian Development Bank to co-finance implementation of the LRMTS project, estimated to cost around $2.4 billion, including the systems and operation that would be deployed through outsourcing transaction advisory services to structure a successful private-public partnership through involvement of international investors and financial institutions.

Planning for the metro network started in the 1990s when the priority corridor for a light rail transit system was identified. Internationally reputed consultants were commissioned by the government in 2005 to undertake a feasibility study of a rapid mass transit system for Lahore. Spreading over 97 kilometres with 82 stations, a network of mass transit corridors comprising four lines was identified in December 2005 with Ferozepur Road as top priority corridor or `green line’. Detailed feasibility of the `green line’ was finalised in August 2006 that defined its main parameters.

With its 27-km length with a total of 22 stations – 12 underground and 10 elevated -it will traverse in the south from Hamza Town along Ferozepur Road to Fatima Jinnah Road, The Mall, Lower Mall, Ravi Road and crossing the Ravi end at its terminus in Shahdara. Its main depot will be near Shadab Colony in the south with a secondary stabling yard near Shahdara station. It will have five connections with other future metro lines – orange, blue, and purple -- at Kalma Chowk, Qurtaba intersection, central station near GPO on The Mall, Jinnah Hall and Data Darbar. The Ferozepur Road section of the `green line’ will be an elevated viaduct of 11.9 kms; made of two twin bored tunnels below the city centre, the middle section will be 11.6 kms long while the elevated viaduct of 3.5 kms length will be the northern section from Data Darbar to the terminal station at Shahdara.

Work on the reference design of the LRMTS was handed over to French company SYSTRA in June 2007, involving 30 per cent of detailed engineering design, system specifications and operations and maintenance requirements planning. The reference work, including finalisation of the design of key elements like viaducts, tunnel, elevated and underground stations and depots, besides system specifications and O&M requirements have almost been completed.

Based on initial environmental examination, the study has also delineated environmental monitoring and management plan.

Land acquisition and utilities’ relocation plans are under way for acquiring right of way as well as removal of utilities infrastructure.