Lahore Metro Bus

Background & Summary:

The Lahore Metro was first proposed in 1991 and reviewed again in 1993 by the Lahore Traffic & Transport
Studies, funded by the World Bank. The project was subsequently shelved. In 2005, the Ministry of Transport
revisited the project and carried out a feasibility study. In 2007, the Asian Development Bank provided ₨1
billion (US$6.0 million) to conduct a study on the project. The initial plan called for an 82 km (51 mi) rail
network with 60 stations to be constructed in four separate phases. The first phase involved the construction of a
27 km (17 mi) rail line between Gajju Matta and Shahdara Bagh, with an 11.6 km (7.2 mi) section underground.
Construction was expected to start in 2008 and be completed by 2010. However, in 2008, the project was
shelved again as priorities shifted to other projects. In June 2010, Malaysia based Scomi International proposed
a US $1.15 billion monorail–based alternative, however the project was not approved. In May 2014, an
agreement was signed so that the construction of the Orange Line could begin. Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz
Sharif signed the agreement at a ceremony alongside President Mamnoon Hussain and China's paramount
leader Xi Jinping. Lahore Transport Company was established in 1984 to ease the traffic conditions of Lahore
and improve bus services. LTC got all the transport responsibilities of traveling in Lahore in December 2009. A
BRTS fleet of 650 Buses was introduced. It was given name "Lahore Bus Company". However, the BRTS did
not have dedicated lanes and had to share roads with regular traffic with no right of way privileges. This
resulted in a system that was a BRTS only in name.

The Lahore Metro bus is a bus rapid transit service operating in Lahore Punjab, Pakistan. Lahore Metro bus
service is integrated with Lahore Transport Company's local bus service to operate as one urban transport
system, providing seamless transit service across Lahore District with connections to neighboring suburban
communities. The Lahore Metro bus was designed to be opened in stages, with the first stage opening on 11
February 2013 stretching from Gajumata to Shahadra. The 27 km stretch was opened during a ceremony by
Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif along with Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey Bekir Bozdag. The second
and third stages have been put on hold, as proposals have been put forth to convert the remaining stages to light
rail. The Orange Line of the Lahore Metro was initially planned as a BRT.

According to the Government of the Punjab, Lahore, the second most populous city of Pakistan, is a fast-
growing metropolis whose population is expected to reach 10 million residents in 2015. The increase in
population has resulted in the simultaneous increase of vehicles on the roads of Lahore, and it has become
apparent that the roads of Lahore can no longer sustain the number of private vehicles that currently ply the
roads. In light of this commuter crisis, several large-scale public transit systems were proposed to serve the
population of Lahore in the last few years.

The strong requirement of a mass-scale Transit system was first brought to attention by the Punjab government
in 2005, who felt that the then prevalent public transport of motorized rickshaws, private buses (under LTA),
and wagons was insufficient to provide safe and comfortable transport to the masses. A large-scale public
transport system was necessary to cater to a city like Lahore, whose population growth was steadily increasing
by 3% per annum. The then government of Punjab proposed an Underground Mass transit System for Lahore
(LRTS) which was approved by the Federal Government, but political upheavals in the country resulted in the
project never being realized.
At present, the transport demand recently estimated by Japanese International Co-operation Agency (JICA) is
12 million trips, which includes 4 million short walking trips and 8 million motorized trips, on a usual weekday.
Vehicle registration has increased from 56 to over 116 per 1,000 inhabitants. Cars have increased over the same
period from 13 to 35 per 1,000 inhabitants and are now increasing at the rate of 10 to 15% per annum.

Keeping such international statistics and estimates in mind, the Punjab Government in 2011 revived the LRTS
project and modified it according to their own requirements. The project was rebranded the Bus Rapid Transit
System (BRTS) for Lahore, and proposed several intersecting transit routes that would provide large scale
transport options to the public, thereby reducing traffic congestion and introducing sustainable travel in the city
of Lahore. Budget constraints, however, led the authorities to modify the plan into two, rather three phases:

 With the first phase going from Shahdara to Gajumata.

 The second phase from Kala Shah Kakoo to Raiwind Road (Thokar Niaz Beg).
 The third proposed phase led from New Airport to Bund Road.

BTRS Lahore:
The Lahore Urban Transport Master Plan of 2011, prepared by JICA, recommended seven BRT corridors in
Lahore. Therefore, in the year 2011, the Government of Punjab appointed “Ulasim,” a Turkish company of the
Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, to prepare the preliminary design of Metro Bus System (MBS). The MBS
was planned in integration with the Multi-Modal Intercity Bus Terminals (MIBT). Each of these terminals was
to be established on either side of the corridor. The Metro Bus System Line-1 from Gajumata to Shahdara is
approximately 27 kilometers long running in the North-South direction through the heart of Lahore. 27 stations
at 1-kilometer intervals were designed, and overhead pedestrian bridges and escalator included along with
pedestrian underpasses at certain nodes to facilitate pedestrian flow through busy interchanges.

PROJECT CHARTER:

General Project Information

Project Name: Lahore Metro Bus Project
Executive Sponsors: Lahore Development Authority Government of Punjab
Department Sponsor: Punjab Mass Transit Authority
Impact of project: Automated rapid transit system
Chairman Khawaja Ahmed Hasan

Project Team
Name
Project Manager: Muhammad Shah
Project Team Mehr Ishtaiq Ahmed
Dr. Saeed Elahi
Hafi Muhammad Numan
Project Stakeholders
1. Project Manager
2. Project Team
3. Customers
4. Employees
5. Suppliers
6. Punjab Government
7. Investors
8. Government Agencies
9. Educational Institutes
10. Senior Citizen
11. Buses Developer
12. Agents
13. Government
14. Students
15. Traffic Police
16. Taxi Drivers
17. Environment
18. Local Bodies
19. Lahore Development Authority
20. Committees

Project Scope Statement:

Project Purpose:
With over 350,000 cars and 850,000 motorcycles on the roads of Lahore, congestion, pollution and safety are
key issues, the stated purpose of the Metro bus project is to increase the share of public transport in Lahore, and
accordingly provide safe, reliable transport.

Purpose Behind:
Lahore Metro bus service is integrated with Lahore Transport Company's local bus service to operate as one
urban transport system, providing seamless transit service across Lahore District with connections to
neighboring suburban communities.

Project Team Objectives:

 Implementation of the project is envisaged having the following specific objectives:
 To facilitate intercity movement of passengers at low cost, high capacity and dedicated lanes to avoid
disruption on the existing flow of traffic;
 To provide the public with environmentally friendly public transport;
  To provide transport safety, transport productivity, travel reliability, travel choices, and social equity;
 To reduce the traffic conflicts/accidents due to reduction in number of vehicles on road;
 To help save the travelling time by reduction in traffic congestion;
 To reduce the fuel consumption by reducing the demand of private vehicle etc;
 To reduce the, noise and air pollution resulting from vehicular exhaust; and
 To provide an opportunity to laborers and skilled/unskilled staff to work in the project area.

Assumption:
 The people travelling by public transport are passing through double agony because despite getting high
fares, the transporters do not finish their routes, thus making the commuters pay extra fare
 There is no preexisting quality transport facility in the twin cities
 It will provide transport safety, transport productivity, travel reliability, travel choices, and social equity;
 To reduce the traffic conflicts/accidents due to reduction in number of vehicles on road;
 To help save the travelling time by reduction in traffic congestion;
 To reduce the fuel consumption by reducing the demand of private vehicle etc.

Project Scope:
The Punjab Government broke ground on the Bus Rapid Transit System megaproject in April 2012. The
first section of the BRTS was opened in February 2013. The route covers residential and commercial
localities along the city’s main artery. The project consists of both an elevated track in some localities, and a
separate bus lane in others. This infrastructure with a linear running road includes a 12.5-kilometer flyover
constructed within the busiest areas of the city. Pede strian bridges and escalators were also constructed
along with the BRTS.

Project Team

Project Milestones:
 Financing
 Reduce Crime
 Improve Public Transpot
 Architectural
 Drawings Foundation Excavation

Role and Responsibilities:

Overlook the entire project and assign responsibilities and tasks to the relevant team members. Also involved in
Initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling and closing phase of the project.

External Dependencies:
Punjab Government

Project Team
Sign-of Name
Executive Sponsor Lahore Development Authority Government of Punjab
Department Sponsor Punjab Mass transit Authority
Project Manager Muhammad Shah

Resources Allocation and Source

Funding Sponsor Funded
Facilities Transportation, Accommodation, Food
Equipment Machinery for Land, installation of equipment, tools and building material
Software Tools CAD for designing, Microsoft Project, Microsoft Office

Major Known Risks

Risks Risk Rating
Cost Risk High
Weather Medium
Earthquakes Low
Fire High
Technology High

Stakeholders of Project Identify level of power & Interest

Each task is done by combining Efforts of all departments and stakeholders. There are different types of
stakeholders of different project.

Keep
Manage closely
Satisfied
Po
w stakeholder p & I
e

r Monitor Keep informated

Low Hight
Interest
1.Project Manager (High Power & Interest)
Project manager is either individual work all types of projects because important part of project. project
managers key role in project success so all input, process and outcomes of project manager responsibility.
2.Project Team: (Low Power & High interest)
The Project Team is comprised of all persons who have a role performing work on the project. The
project team needs to have a clear understanding of the work to be completed and the framework in
which the project is to be executed.
3.Customers: (Low Power & High Interest)
Customers are the clients or passenger of the Lahore Metro bus who travel in it. They are the main part
of the project through which we can measure the success and failure of any project.
4.Employees: (Low Power & High interest)
Employees play a key role in success or the failure of any type of project and metro provide
employment facility to many peoples in Multan region and already many employees from different
organization travel through metro bus so employees are the key stakeholders in Multan metro bus
project.
5.Suppliers: (Low Power & High interest)
Suppliers is main stakeholder in transport businesses due to vehical all parts provide to companies
and parts suppliers key role of vehical life.
6.Punjab Government (High Power & High Interest)
Lahore Metro Bus is Punjab government project so they put more efforts and resources to complete this project.
Punjab government is one of the most important stakeholders.
7.Investors: (Medium Power & interest)
Stakeholders are regarded as large investors, who will either increase or decrease their stakes in your
company according to your financial performance, So investors is play role of stakeholder in Lahore
Metro.
8.Government Agencies: (High Power & Low interest)
Government agencies can be effect by the any type of project. Lahore metro time limit change
many times so agencies must play key role in this project.
9.Education Institutes (Low Power & Interest High)
Education institutes are developing society and play a key role in success of peoples of the country
and in projects and the projects must affected by the education institutes. Multan metro provide
transport facility students and teachers so education institutions are important stakeholder in this
project.
10.Seniors Citizen (Low Power & High Interest)
Seniors’ citizen important part of any society and must play key role in society so senior citizen
stakeholder in Lahore Metro.
11.Buses Developer: (Low Power & interest)
Buses Developer company directly affects the successes and the failure of the transportation project.
The company who Developed the buses of the Lahore metro bus project is a key stakeholder in this
project.
12.Agents: (Low Power & Medium interest)
Agents means those people work behalf of other peoples and play role of any project so agent not
directly effect this type of projects.
13.Government: (High Power and High interest)
Government Provide all type of assistance of any transport project so Lahore metro is important project
so government key role as a stakeholder.
14.Students; (Low Power & High Interest)
It is the clear students are the most important stakeholders of transport system of any country so Lahore
metro provide high level facility of transportation in Lahore all school, College, university.
15.Traffic Police (Low Power & Low Interest)
Traffic police important role in transport project and provide any type of support all stakeholder and
control different type of threats of project so Lahore traffic police key stakeholder during development.
16.Taxi Drivers (Low Powers & High Interest)
Lahore metro bus highly affects the taxi drivers directly, so the taxi drivers in Multan Region are the
stake holder in this project.
17.Environment (Low Power & High Interest)
Environment is major stakeholder any project. A transportation project must affect the environment so
project manager should take steps for the safety of the natural environment.
18.Local Bodies (Low power & High Interest)
Local Bodies of the city plays an important role in the so local bodies of the Multan are the one of the
most important stakeholders in this project.
19.Lahore Development Authority (High power & High Interest)
Multan development authority is that organization which is on the back of the Multan metro bus
project and this organization can directly affect the project, so Multan development authority is a key
stakeholder in this project.
20.Committee: (High Power & Low Interest)

Ad hoc committees are frequently formed to provide a structure to organize both public input and
technical input. Ad hoc means that the committees are formed for a specific purpose - in this case to
guide a specific project. Types of ad hoc committees include the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC)
and the Community Advisory Committee (CAC), which can also be called the Community Advisory
Group (CAG). These Committees act in an advisory capacity only and as a “sounding boards” for
decision makers.
Project Manager Will Managed Those Stakeholders:
The Project Manager Allocate to a stakeholder on the grid shows the actions Manager need to take
with them:
1. High power, highly interested people (Manage Closely): Project Manager must fully engage these
people, and make the greatest efforts to satisfy them.
2. High power, less interested people (Keep Satisfied): put enough work in with these people to keep
them satisfied, but not so much that they become bored with your message.
3. Low power, highly interested people (Keep Informed): adequately inform these people, and talk
to them to ensure that no major issues are arising. People in this category can often be very helpful with
the detail of your project.
4. Low power, less interested people (Monitor): again, monitor these people, but don’t bore them
with excessive communication.

Scope and WBS

The Punjab Government broke ground on the Bus Rapid Transit System megaproject in April 2012.
The first section of the BRTS was opened in February 2013. The route covers residential and
commercial localities along the city’s main artery. The project consists of both an elevated track in
some localities, and a separate bus lane in others. This infrastructure with a linear running road
includes a 12.5-kilometer flyover constructed within the busiest areas of the city. Pedestrian bridges
and escalators were also constructed along with the BRTS.

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

Originally inspired by the Metro Bus model implemented in the Turkish city of Istanbul, the Lahore
BRTS has since derived considerable influence from the ‘TransMilenio’ public transit system in
Bogota, Columbia. However, the work breakdown phase was mismanaged by the authorities, since
there were no feasibility reports conducted, or Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) reports filed.
No public meetings were organized until after the project had already commenced construction,
thereby invalidating the views of other project stakeholders. A point of controversy emerged
subsequent to the project’s inauguration that the EIA reports submitted by the government were in fact
pieced together from other previously written reports, and had no relation to the project at hand. The
initial design proposed an entirely new lane for BRTS Lahore which initially led from Chouwng to
LDA Avenue, hence making a triangle ending up near Jallo, thereby enclosing city. Budget constraints,
however, led the authorities to modify the plan into two, rather three phases:

 With the first phase going from Shahdara to Gajumata.

 The second phase from Kala Shah Kakoo to Raiwind Road (Thokar Niaz Beg).
 The third proposed phase led from New Airport to Bund Roa
Cost &Schedule of the Project:
The Traffic Engineering and Planning Agency (TEPA), a subsidiary of the Lahore Development
Authority (LDA)at a cost Rs 29.7 Billion.
Cost Details

SR No. City Name Rupees

1 Youhanabad to Kalma Chowk 5,411.075 million
2 Kalma Chowk to Qurtaba Chowk 5,482.902 million
3 Qartaba Chowk to M.A.O College 5,148.948 million
4 M.A.O College to Bhaat Chowk 3,411.839 million
5 Taxali Chowk to Shahdara Mor 2,590.782 million
6 Additional Bridge along Lahore Bridge Rupees 849.691 million
7 Gajju Matta to Youhanabad 1,930.017 million
8 Erection of Escalators & Platform Screen Doors 3,227.176
9 construction of Bus Depot 1,026.193 million
10 automated fare collection and bus scheduling 743.139 million
Problem Area Of Project and Difficulties
In order to build a metro bus transport system, there are some crucial points which need to be
analysed in order to get the job done like analysing the scale of the public transport which is
required in order to fulfil the demand. The dealings between private and public departments
should be publicized to ensure no corruption.
However, nothing was done right for the metro bus project in Pakistan. This is the first of its kind
project in the huge city of Lahore which is also very densely populated and it was not adequate
to start working without thoroughly going through the details. There was no such need for a bus
to be given separate fenced corridor, as it was wastage of money and resources to think so and do
so. It was enough to start with a dedicated route for the bus to travel in minimum time. The
government was forced to make flyovers in order to make the project successful which also
caused huge defecations in the budget of the overall project.
The main Ferozepur road was the part of Lahore which was uprooted in order to make a separate
corridor for non-stop bus service. Even after the corridor was made and buses are supposed to
reach after every three minutes, people still suffer as there are not enough buses to accommodate
the people of Lahore. This is a huge question mark on the management of this project, that there
are more people to cater and there are not enough buses available.
At first, it was proposed that a single bus will carry almost 50 people, the number was estimated
with the total seats available on the bus. After a few weeks, a single bus was observed carrying
almost 150 people at a time. This was a huge blow to the project and somehow it illustrated that
there was no planning whatsoever behind the project.

Passenger to bus ratio is still the same but no steps are taken in order to make the situation better.
Ferozepur road used to be a greenbelt before the metro train project, all the trees were uprooted
and no trees were planted in order to replace those cut-down.

For almost a year, people were forced to use different routes in lieu of the construction. Due to
this heavy construction and no proper safety features, Lahore has witnessed the worst smog in
the history of Pakistan. It was also reported that after inauguration some of the stations were not
fully operational and passengers were told to reach another station in order to avail the service.
Also, water is a serious issue in bathrooms and water coolers at every station and most of the
times, people were deprived of these facilities too. In Rawalpindi and Lahore, the material used
for the construction of the separated corridor was also reported to be of low quality and that is
why at most of the locations, there are frequent patches on the road which can be observed very
clearly.
In order to make this project a success, it is better to start conducting surveys and ask people
about the improvements or the areas where this service lacks. More buses will also reduce the
problem as the number of passengers per bus will decrease.

Also, the machines which were used to add credit to the card were not up to the mark, most of
them were broken and people were not made aware of the method to use them.

People wait in long queues instead of using the machine. Credit transfer in the metro cards
should be made easier so that more and more people use it and save time.

Positive and Negative Aspect of Metro Bus Project

One of the most controversial and dividing project of recent history was inaugurated by PM
Nawaz Sharif on 4th June, two months ago. As the dust is settled now, Let’s take a moment to
analyze the Pros and Cons of Metro Bus System, do we really need Metro Bus?
Metro bus project is one of the top-tier projects of Pakistan. First Metro Bus service was
launched in Lahore on February 2013 by Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif with the cooperation of
Turkish Government. The main aim of this project was to provide comfortable yet efficient
transportation system to the major cities of Pakistan i.e., Lahore where the number of vehicle’s
registration for per thousand population was gradually increased from 95 to an alarming number
of 238 from 2001 to 2008.
 Despite of the harsh criticism it faced; Metro ran very successfully in Lahore. Therefore, recently
Islamabad-Pindi metro Bus system has also been launched. Moreover, Government has also
promised to launch Metro bus system in Karachi. From my personal research and public opinion,
I would here like to share some of the Pros and Cons of Metro Buses.

Positive Attributes

 Metro bus is an efficient and easy way of transportation for people who mostly travel from one
corner of the city to another for the sake of livelihood on daily basis.
 In Highly populated cities, mostly women and girls have to face the consequences of unsafe
transport especially when they choose to travel alone. It provides safety and security
predominantly for women.
 Because of the separate tracks many of the major problems like traffic jams and accidents
chances are low for Metro buses.
 Metro bus Project has modernized the transportation system of Pakistan by providing stylish yet
fast traveling buses. Moreover, metro terminals also provide free availability of Wi-Fi.
 Metro track connects several commercial, residential and business areas which provide
opportunity to people with multiple jobs to easily travel from one of their workplaces to another
in an inexpensive and cheerful way.

Negative Attributes

 The heavy amount of 30 to 40 billion was spent on Metro bus project. Pakistan has been going
through major flaws of poverty, low education and terrorism, thus in current state of affairs this
huge amount should would have been spent to overcome the main complications faced by
Pakistanis.
 The separate dedicated tracks used by the buses require much more space, Metro buses should
have used the old tracks and government should have spent more on current roads instead of
making one stand-alone road dedicated specifically for metro bus system, especially when cities
 like Lahore and Karachi face several of traffic problems and Road jams. Separate tracks are also
the wastage of huge amount of money.
 Metro doesn’t provide the facility of feeder routes and buses, and one specific route doesn’t
cover many of the major areas of the city. Hence, cannot be served as multipurpose route.
 For the sake of this Jumbo Project many of Trees were cut down and Green belts were eaten up
which can definitely have a bad impact on atmosphere, particularly when Pakistan is already in
lack of sufficient natural greenery.
 Most of the funds of this plan were spent on the export of Buses and development of separate
road and it resulted in poor metro bus terminals which lack a lot of the major needs.
The idea behind the project is really good, however the amount spent could have been reduced if
Government would have worked more on the already built roads. In conclusion, I would say for
a city like Islamabad where people usually prefer to use their personal vehicles this project is a
total wastage of money and greenery. However, for more populated areas like Karachi and
Lahore where a better public transportation service is necessary, this project can be fruitful, yet
Government should limit the amount of money they are planning to misspend on any of such
future plans, as a substitute they should work on building better roads which would definitely be
more worthwhile.

Conclusion:
Metro Bus Transit was a new project in Pakistan that has revolutionized transport sector. Overall,
it was good for the people of Lahore to travel within the city. It was beneficial for lower class
people, who had less income and low living standards. Its quality and fare were better than
conventional bus system that’s why most people preferred to ride it. People were very hopeful
for MBT so their views remained same to some extent before and after implementation. MBT
gave benefits to many people and provided secure way of transportation. It increased traffic
safety by reducing the frequency of traffic incidents, injuries and deaths. It helped in reducing
the traffic jam due to its separate track from mixed traditional traffic. It improved environmental
condition and health of respondents by reducing air and noise pollution. It was time efficient and
cost effective. After getting people’s opinions and analysis of observations, people showed high
willingness to use rather than basic mode of public transport and were satisfied from its impacts
in this growing period of urbanization. But citizens of Lahore need improvement in other
projects also, such as power supply, education and health facilities. It made a pathway to build
various modernized transportation projects not within Lahore but also targeted different major
cities.