Road to mass transit system, bumpy and clogged

K-P, Centre disagree on different plans

PESHAWAR:

Two feasibility studies and differences with the Centre have put the city’s plans of having a mass transit system (MTS) of its own on the backburner.

What was initially thought to have been one of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government’s flagship mega-projects, a high-speed train running to and from the city, is now struggling to materialise as a bus rapid transit (BRT).

The initial plan was to use the already existing tracks and run a light railway transit (LRT). However, it was soon discovered the pre-feasibility study was impractical as the railway track is broad-gauged and the alignment is off-track with a number of overhead bridges.

In search for a more pragmatic solution, Chief Minister Pervez Khattak held a meeting with Federal Railway Minister Khwaja Saad Rafique to end the deadlock. During the meeting, Khattak administration insisted on acquiring land parallel to the track for a bus way. However, Rafique contended he had plans to establish a new railway line connecting Peshawar to Karachi and Afghanistan via Torkham. The feasibility study will be completed by the end of August.

K-P Board of Investment Vice Chairman Senator Mohsin Aziz considers the MTS his brainchild. “I will not let go of the project so easily,” he told The Express Tribune. “If the railway minister wants to go by the book there might be a shortage of only a kilometre or two of land which can be acquired.”

SOURCE: HTTP://WWW.URBANPOLICYUNIT.GKP.PK

Aziz said there is space of up to 120 feet along the track which can be utilised easily but the Centre is creating hurdles. “Initial feedback on their project’s feasibility suggested the track should pass through Lwee Shalman instead of Torkham,” he added.

Five pathways

Meanwhile, the Cities Development Initiative for Asia, which provides grants for such ventures, and is a trust fund under Asian Development Bank, has identified five corridors for the MTS. These are:

Corridor 1: Chamkani to Hayatabad

Corridor 2A: Chamkani to Karkhano via GT Road, Khyber Road and Jamrud Road

Corridor 2B: Chamkani to Karkhano via GT Road, Sunehri Masjid Road, Sir Syed Ahmed Road and Jamrud Road

Corridor 3: Warsak Road to Kohat Terminal via Saddar, AK Afridi Road and Kohat Road

Corridor 4: Charsadda Road to Bara Road Terminus near Ring Road via Saddar

Corridor 5: Inner City Circular Road and Ring Road

Meanwhile the K-P Urban Policy Unit has been working on another study considering Corridor 2, leading from Chamkani to Karkhano via GT Road. Under the project two extra lanes will be constructed on the sides of the GT Road to run the bus service. “There are around 26 stops on each side,” an official privy to the development told The Express Tribune. This means a stop after practically every kilometre.

In retrospect

An insider familiar with the matter told The Express Tribune both proposals have their own positives and negatives but it is highly unlikely the project will see the light of day during the tenure of the current government. It is believed Aziz is lobbying for his project despite resistance from the federal government, a fact that he denies. “It’s just that the second project will cost too much and will have to be constructed overhead considering all the impediments.”

Experts believe the project could nonetheless have been initiated had there been less politicking and more practicality. Owing to the growing public demands of an MTS, a meeting was scheduled for Friday (today) to moot possibilities. However, Senator Aziz maintained the meeting has been postponed.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 7^th, 2015.