Shiny and new: Multi-modal intercity bus terminals to replace existing structures

These will be established at a cost of Rs8.11 billion

LAHORE: The Punjab government has decided to build three ‘Multi-modal Intercity Bus Terminals’ in the provincial capital at an estimated cost of Rs8.11 billion.

Punjab Minister for Excise and Taxation Mujataba Shujaur Rehman disclosed in a consultative workshop on Thursday that the government intended to construct stat-of-the-art bus terminals on a build-operate-transfer (BOT). The terminals will be established through private public partnerships (PPP).

These facilities will be constructed in two phases and provide modern bus terminal facilities to over 170,000 passengers travelling between Lahore and other cities on a daily basis.

He said the multimodal bus terminals would offer the best facilities to passengers and ease traffic congestion in the city. He added the government decided to close all existing intercity bus terminals after inauguration of the new ones.

Punjab Transport Department and Lahore Metropolitan Corporation will establish these terminals at Shahdara, Thokar Niaz Baig and Gajju Matta on Ferozpur Road.

Addressing the workshop’s participants, Punjab Minister for Planning and Development Malik Nadeem Kamran said the government was ready to support all new initiatives in the development sector through the PPP mode. He said the Punjab government had taken many initiatives to improve transport facilities in the city for the people.

P&D board member Agha Waqar Javed said the P&D’s PPP Cell and Punjab Transport department joined hands to arrange the consultative workshop to get a sense of the market. “We want this project to be the most successful project under the PPP mode.

He stated the government was looking forward to investment plans for these bus terminals project as it would be a flagship project.

Secretaries for transport and C&W, P&D PPP Cell member as well as the Lahore division commissioner and Lahore Development Authority (LDA) director general were present at the workshop. Punjab Engineering Consultancy Services managing director, government officials and foreign delegates from Turkey, China and other countries also attended.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 24^th, 2017.