According to the Punjab government, the project cost Rs30 billion. The figure, however, is disputed by the opposition. PHOTO: EXPRESS/ ZAHOORUL HAQ.
LAHORE:
The 27 bus stations of the Metro Bus Service were being prepared on Friday for the project’s inauguration on February 10 (tomorrow).
Work continues round the clock on the elevated bus way. The escalators, recently installed on several stations, need another week worth of work. Similarly, work on sliding doors will be completed after the inauguration.
The project is currently missing a bridge over River Ravi as a result of which the buses will use the existing Ravi Bridge.
The Traffic Engineering and Planning Agency (Tepa) Chief Engineer Muhammad Saeed Akhtar told The Express Tribune the left over “petty work” would be completed “soon” after the inauguration.
It was on February 5 last year that ground was broken for the project. Work on the 27-kilometre long project – from Gajju Matta to Shahdara – started on March 12. At that time, NESPAK, the consultant on the project, had said it would take three years to complete.
According to the Punjab government, the project cost Rs30 billion. The figure, however, is disputed by the opposition.
Lahore Transport Company Chairman Khawaja Ahmad Hasan expects 20,000-40,000 people to use the service which he says has the capacity to cater to 112,000 people every day.
The project includes an 8.3 km elevated track, starting from Muslim Town Bridge and ending near Data Darbar. The elevated track was not a part of the initial design. The decision to build it had to be made after problems with acquisition of land needed for it.
The first plan, received from Turkish experts was for a seven-kilometre stretch, starting somewhere near Atari Saroba on Ferozpure Road and ending at Kalma Chowk. Later NESPAK expanded it.
Another change to the original plans was when the government decided to import 45 articulated buses for it. The initial plan had been to import only six such buses.
Though the engineers, working on the project, had always predicted that work could not be completed before February 2013, the Punjab government gave a number of deadlines, which were missed. The first deadline set by the chief minister was October 31, 2012, which was changed to November 20. The third deadline given to construction companied was December 20, 2012. The next deadline to lapse was January 27.
The service will be offered free-of-charge initially. According to an estimate, it will cost the provincial government more than Rs1 billion per year. The transport secretary said that the expenses were justified if one takes into consideration the facilities being provided.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 9th, 2013.
COMMENTS (44)
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What about the misery of the people due to nonavailabilty of options to cross ferozepur road. It is causing troubles to more people than those benefitting from the bus.
Lahore is one eight of entire population of Punjab ,and second largest city in the country. So naturally one would notice more spent in Lahore for development. However the fact that Lahore is so large is partially because migration from other cities to Lahore due to nonavailability of proper facilities in other parts. Plus metro services are responsibility of Metro/municipal/city government, not provincial government. I admire the step and effort for a transit system, but there are so many things wrong and not done properly.
@Salman:
This kind of jealous cynicism is exactly why things get done in Punjab and not in Sindh
@SHADI: Why u need the same in karachi? For bombing..
First try to live peacefuly
In 2013 pak got its first Metro!!!!!!!"
Sounds great enjoy :-)
They need to come out of the box, the whole of Punjab don't live in Lahore, this may only earn them some more votes from the Lahore city only.
Peoples money spent on the people with a few kick backs. How's that a success? ?
@SHADI: Tell that to ANP and MQM.
Karachi always won over Lahore. Today Lahore has won over Karachi. Pakistan's first metro bus!
@Hassaan: who cares for south punjab when they themselves want their own province. my question is what have the south punjabis and their leaders done for themselves??
I am sure the project will proof to be good if not now may be after few years...I remember when motor way was being built, people had same feeling that spending so much on a highway is useless and govt should spent money on fixing GT road in stead but soon after completion we all realized how necessary an alternative highway was..
My only concern is the safety of these under passes and bridges that have been finished in a record time...we in Pakistan have a history of falling bridges (God Forbid) I just hope they have spend hours and hours in testing the strength and reliability and they continue to monitor it. By the way why is Tribune not mentioning the contractor's name...???
@Hassaan: Please do not criticize for the sake of criticism only. Present your alternative proposal if you do not agree with the present one. Second part is for ET moderator. Please put my REPLY after Hassaan comment and not after ten or fifteen comments. This way the next reader can read both the point of views. That is the way it happens on Yahoo web site. Actually there is no moderator over there and things happen automatically and right away. No body is managing the comments.
@Arslan: My friend those buses never arrived in Pakistan. Do your research and then talk. Weather they were LTC, Rapid buses or whatever where these buses had gone???. Why those buses were never been able to come in Pakistan despite the announcement by Turkey???.
Finally 24/7 efforts of a tireless, energetic and determined leader have paid off. We hope Mian Shehbaz Sharif keeps on serving Punjab for many years to come.
I fail to understand how spending billions in one project in Lahore makes things better in 'whole punjab'?
@Hassaan: Compare Southren Punjab with Interior Sindh. Moreover the people you select from Southren Punjab are responsible for any Mehroomi (if any)
Great to see development in Lahore, however Karachi is in dire, absolute need of a mass transit sytem. KCR is years away, no idea when something like this'll show up in khi.
@popsaeed: Keep it handy urself as well for post election ...
How stupid to buy buses on rent each bus 3 dollars per km
How thick can pmln be no wonder Pakistan Is so poor
As a PTI member, i still applaud pmln govt for doing something good n agree such transit systems should be up and running in alk metropolis and even bigger towns in oakistan
Dont believe in free ride.It will surely be misused.Any way good begining and will be a pilot study for other provinces.
@popsaeed: MAn I tell you one thing PTI is not against any devlopement. But one should study rationally what is really good. I tell you in west this is job of the mayor not the head of the state. MR CM spend daily five ours on it. COme on man this is not way countries get progressed. One should have long term sustainable policies rather the election gimmicks.
@Salman: what about our old driver's son studying in UET on scholarship of PEEF? dont u think its a good initiative..?
@Shaami: those are not metro buses..those were LTC buses
@John the Baptist: just like M2 ?
A step in the right direction and unlike the CM in Sindh atleast something positive is being done in Punjab.
In Karachi, Lyari Bypass project is in doldrums since this government came into power and also the circular railway project, despite having the infrastructure in place nothing is being done. While I am not a fan of the big brother, I bet if Shahbaz Sharif is made CM of Sindh for 3o days both of these would be complete within 30 days.
@Hassaan: do we really need a metro bus in south punjab?? demands of South punjab are different from central punjab. they need hospitals and schools there, which this government has delivered upto some extant. think rationally.
A true reflection of care for under privileged people.
Despite being a jiyala, one must acknowledge the project that is the need of not only Lahore but all the major cities of Pakistan. If media publicizes it correctly this would have more impact on an ordinary resident of Sindh than all the pointless bickering.
All PTI Trots need burnol
A bus lane with shiny buses is not a mega project. Ensuring all children attend schools, free of charge if they cannot afford it, is a mega project.
Just wait--this white elephant waste of public money is going to end in tears within the next 2 years!
Whole project is an excellent case study of provincial govt failure and Shahbaz shariff is the prime responsible for this torture to Lahorities and Pak tax payers. Chief justice must take action against him
Good initiative by punjab Govt. Hope to see mega projects in future
Hats off to Govt. Of Punjab for such mega project.
Somebody must ask the Punjab government that they announced that 100 Buses from Turkey are coming as a Gift?. Where is that gift as my friend who worked in this project told me that the 45 buses operated right now are not free and infact Government leased them out from Alburak company from Turkey and none of 100 buses ever arrived in Pakistan and never will be. Infact Punjab officials have taken hold of those 100 Second hand buses in Turkey and they are going to sell them privately and this is a major scam and that should be monitored by our News channels.
ok...bus is up and running...all problems of Punjab solved now....yay...celebrate and vote for its trumpeters.....(sarcasm....)
Only Shabiz Sharif thinks what is good to us. Man come on there must be continuos policies that states usually adhear. Not magic ideas of one man
it took me half an hour last Sunday to cross only Ravi Bridge and if these buses will be sharing same bridge then i cant call it Rapid, Rest is fine.
Karachi also desperately needs a metro system!
Anxiously awaiting to travle in this bus.
Shame Punjab Government. Sense of deprivation prevails in South Punjab and this is the prime reason. Khadam-e-flop needs to think that Lahore exists in Punjab, whole Punjab doesn't exist in Lahore.