Punjab

Punjab cabinet approves extension of metro bus project to four cities

The project has been approved for twin cities of Islamabad-Rawalpindi, as well as Faisalabad and Multan.

Web Desk February 01, 2014

File photo of a metro bus in Lahore. PHOTO: FILE

LAHORE: The Provincial Cabinet in Punjab approved the metro bus project for twin cities of Islamabad-Rawalpindi, Faisalabad and Multan, Express News reported on Saturday.

The cabinet was led by Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif.

Twin cities

On January 22, Punjab Governor Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar had assured local businessmen that a metro bus project for Rawalpindi would be completed in just 11 months.

He said the provincial government would also improve the road networks of the city soon. However, he did not mention how much had been allocated for the project and when it will be launched.

The estimated cost of Islamabad’s section was worked out at Rs15 billion. The interested firms were asked to submit the required documents to take part in the pre-qualification process.

Lahore

The country’s first metro bus service was inaugurated on February 10 in Lahore last year.

The project, which cost roughly Rs30 billion, was completed in the short span of one year. Under the service, 115 metro buses, with a capacity three times that of ordinary buses, run along a 27km corridor, from Gajju Matta to Shahdra, in Lahore.

COMMENTS (23)

kaka | 10 years ago | Reply

real question is what is the amount of subsidy will be paid by government to maintain low fare travelling.......when every government organization is for sale, what justifies metro buses to be run on subsidy.....it should be run by private organizations, otherwise it would be just a political stunt

Stellar | 10 years ago | Reply @Aysha M: Even in Mustafa Kamal tenure all the 300 billion Rs(which he quoted) to be spent on the city, was wasted on making flyovers( in reality they were just bridges). With just 10 percent of the population owning a private vehicle, this was a sheer waste of resources. He did not plan any mass transit program which could have benefited million of commuters. He went to earn quick money in the form of contracts. The world over flyovers are being done away with and mass transit in the form of BRTS, metro train, mono rail are being implemented. If he had some far sight and sincerity, Rs.300 billion is a huge amount to complete a mass transit scheme for the mega city of Karachi.

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Dhaka | 10 years ago | Reply It very irony to hear that a countries capital do not have even a 'metro bus system'.Comparing them to our's is like comparing elephant and mouse.

Aysha M | 10 years ago | Reply @Cheema: Stockholm syndrome??? Excuse me. I have no sympathy or empathy with the PPP, yes one of us does need to read up more about this syndrome,

Cheema | 10 years ago | Reply Ayesha M emotionally your comment does hold ground but not Rationally at all. Provinces have been given adequate budgets but if your representative are not competitive enough then what we can do about it? Moreover Your comment show your condescending attitude that other than followers of your party all have fake degrees,corrupt, non inclusive attitude etc and it is arrogance , narcissism and nothing else.!!! Also do read about "Stockholm Syndrome" as many people do suffer from this phenomenon but do not know about it.

Aysha M | 10 years ago | Reply @Muhammad Bilal Aslam: Yes Sir, we in Karachi should complain and that is what we do complain and protest, then sit back and watch our city regress with the advent of chinkees. Karachi is never governed by those we vote for. We make massive contribution to the provincial revenue and the federal exchequer. But ruled by rural Sindh, since Karachi has never been PPP's constituency so Karachi not their problem. We need a directly elected mayor with transport under him, otherwise we have people on bus rooftops and now chinkee rooftops. So we are not half as lucky as you are

Aysha M | 10 years ago | Reply @Cheema: All old viewers of ET know very well that you represent one small party of Karachi on this forum. I represent all those who care for Karachi and it shows, they represent us the middle class people and have no fake degrees and not busy filling personal coffers and are ethnically and religiously inclusive and socially responsive I can go on here A small info for you that this time after 18th amendment Punjab’s budget is smaller in Per Capita terms than other provinces but still they are completing such mega projects. there have been no mega projects for urban Sindh before and after Kamal administration we had a snippet of what Karachi could look like when for once it was governed by those people vote for your own Representatives who preach hatred while eat your share of development and stash them in their bank accounts only. And this is so lame, friends and foes alike, however grudgingly, but acknowledge that there are no financial irregularities when it comes to the party i supposedly represent Your province can follow suit as well but it requires some sincerity Sincerity is all that we have, and that is how we are surviving despite appalling inequitable distribution of resources ET pls print, thanks

Aysha M | 10 years ago | Reply @Muhammad Bilal Aslam: Yes Sir, we in Karachi should complain and that is what we do complain and protest, then sit back and watch our city regress with the advent of chinkees. Karachi is never governed by those we vote for. Electoral mandate does not get translated into administrative mandate when it comes to urban sindh. We make massive contribution to the provincial revenue and the federal exchequer, but ruled by rural Sindh, since Karachi has never been PPP's constituency so Karachi not their problem. We need a directly elected mayor with transport under him, otherwise we have people on bus rooftops and now chinkee rooftops. So we are not half as lucky as you are, congratulations to Punjab, though

Iftikhar Ahmad | 10 years ago | Reply Politics and development is corelated. If there is no development then what will help political parties?

joy | 10 years ago | Reply "Come Sunday and India’s first monorail will be thrown open to the public, eight years after it was first proposed. With this, India will join countries like the U.S., Germany, China, Japan, Australia and Malaysia that run monorails.The overall monorail project covers a 19.17 km stretch in the Chembur-Wadala-Jacob Circle corridor, which will be the second longest corridor with 17 stations. The longest one is Japan’s Osaka Monorail.

Cheema | 10 years ago | Reply @Ayesha M All old viewers of ET know very well that you represent one small party of Karachi on this forum. Your politics is based on Hatred, Linguistic and Provincialism and nothing else. A small info for you that this time after 18th amendment Punjab's budget is smaller in Per Capita terms than other provinces but still they are completing such mega projects. Ask your own Representatives who preach hatred while eat your share of development and stash them in their bank accounts only. Punjab is completing all these projects with provincial budgets not with federal help. Your province can follow suit as well but it requires some sincerity.

Muhammad Bilal Aslam | 10 years ago | Reply

Ayesha M,

Punjab gets it all because people of Punjab hold their government responsible for everything. You should also complain to your provincial government instead of whining of ET.

laiq | 10 years ago | Reply

Agree with Asad and Jay. I am currently working on one of Metro Rail project in Middle East form last 2 years. Despite of having a very efficient taxi and public buss system managed and run by government, it has decided to launch Metro Rail system to meet future transport needs here and to improve quality of mass transit system. But in Punbaj Metro Buss system projects are more likely for political purpose rather than a sustainable development.

Shahrukh | 10 years ago | Reply

I found Asad's comment very interesting. Although I agree with his ultimate conclusion that the focus should be on rail and airlines, I would differ with him on the fact that such short term projects also can reap benefits. However a very interesting point is raised, that is how to efficiently use the limited resourced. If Pakistan has $5 billion, which projects should be prioritized?

Thar, Gaddani, Dams i.e. Electricity. Education Reform (primary to college) Railways and Air. Steel Mills.

These are just four examples, but I hope the idea comes across.I also liked the idea of integrating local companies. If only there could be a collective project which incorporates local firms in helping to produce all the above projects but link them together then that could be a possibility.

Aysha M | 10 years ago | Reply

And Punjab gets it all

Jay | 10 years ago | Reply

Metro bus system is a traditional transport system ! Why not metro rail or monorail system? For modern cities, metro bus system is not attractive and also high passenger traffic expectations in future.

Asad | 10 years ago | Reply

I don't want to categorically criticized but I guess this decision is based on politics not the well being..Even though I appreciated the metro-bus project since it was the first of its kind and I would say it was successful..But that doesn't mean that there were no problems....There were a lot of problems like the purchasing of buses for the project which were actually imported and cost a lot...Instead the government should have made an arrangement to prepare the buses by local companies which would have substantially decreased the price...Secondly the project does not cover all of the Lahore...

So the government should move forward with such ambitious projects but with more practical and long term thinking..Yes they should take notice of the transport projects in Europe, North America, China, and also India to some extent and then should introduce such projects....These projects remain for ever and therefore one should think of the next 25, 50, 75, 100 years not 5 years and then only election.....Pakistan really needs to improve its Airline services and Railway which are actually a major revenue in Europe and other developed countries....

Stealth | 10 years ago | Reply

Wake up Sindh government. Karachi badly need a BRTS. When the Karachi circular railway is going to see the light of the day.

Sumsum | 10 years ago | Reply

Rs 30bn for the lahore metro and its running 115 buses. That works out to Rs 260mn per bus. Does it make any financial sense at all? Wouldn't it be better to have ten times the no of buses and not spend so much on the roads and stations and so on? That would actually reduce traffic congestion. Right now the traffic situation remains the same outside of the bus track.

Humayun | 10 years ago | Reply

Hope Balochistan also gets road and transport as good as in punjab

Muslim Leaguer | 10 years ago | Reply

This is a great step and must be appreciated, despite some haters spewing venom (with some calling it as jangla bus) in the past. All other provincial government must follow the good initiatives of Punjab govt.

Asad Malik | 10 years ago | Reply

The government has no money yet it wants to build these ridiculously expensive projects instead of creating a bus lane on the already existing roads.

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