Lahore and Karachi Metro Lines

[Dance]

Any one have any updates on the progress of these projects?

 

[Singh Balwinder]

Anything done yet?..

 

[aks18]

Any one have any updates on the progress of these projects?

LAHORE, May 22: The Lahore Metro System agreement signed between the Punjab government and a Chinese firm is costlier than the similar plan made by the previous government, say officials and technical experts.

The PML-N government had rejected the previous plan for which the Asian Development Bank had committed a soft loan of $1 billion on many `grounds`. One of them was that the modern facility in Lahore will create envy among the people of other cities in the province.

The officials and experts question whether the government has now made some arrangement under which this expected `envy` will not be generated by the metro by the Chinese firm which they claim has no experience of the subject.

The experts and the officials talked to Dawn on the condition of anonymity and raised many objections to the project.

According to them, the agreement has been signed with a single source which they allege has no experience of laying and running metro. An international competition would have given better cost and access to superior technology.

The company supposed to provide the facility has no previous experience in the field and the project is likely to end up being sub-contracted, they say.

The government is saying that the Chinese company is ready to provide a facility at the green line at a cost of $1.87 billion which look costly. The green line runs from Hamza Town, Shahdara to Kot Lakhpat via Ravi Road, Bhati Chowk, Lower Mall, The Mall, Queen`s Road, Mozang Chungi and Ferozepur Road.

The previous project for the same line was estimated to cost $2.4 billion and the estimates were made on the price index of 2006. The Punjab government was to contribute $400 million in the shape of land and removal of utilities.

The Asian Development Bank was to provide an easy $1 billion infrastructure loan, also arranging foreign investment of an equal amount for the rolling stock (system and operations).

Officials and experts say that nobody has explained what will the Chinese company doing with the announced $1.87 billion. If this cost includes civil construction, rolling stock and system operations, it is likely that the authorities at the helm of affairs are going to cut corners or make compromises on quality.

The previous government was going to pick the infrastructure cost ($1 billion from the ADB). And operations would have been fairly viable on the fare and ridership. They say that as told by the Punjab government, the Chinese company will arrange a bank loan of $1.87 billion which looks costly, accepting the loan liability much bigger than the $1 billion of the ADB. This is likely to make the financial viability highly questionable.

Under the previous arrangements, the government was not required to pay any subsidy because of the foreign investment of $1 billion for systems and operations.

Now there is an express loan of $1.87 billion without any private-sector investment for the operations and systems. Therefore, the experts and official fear the government will have to provide huge operational subsidies.

But, they say, one should keep in mind that many medium rails (metros) have failed because the operational subsidies are cumbersome and difficult to sustain. The facilities flopped in Bangkok, Manila and Kuala Lumpur due to the same reason.

Officials and experts say the redesigning of the Kalma Chowk is going to create a major problem for the metro project because it has been started without any detailed study and assessing its economic rate of return.

The metro, as per the disclosures by the government, will run underground from Ferozepur Road (near Kalma Chowk) to Ravi Road. But the redesigning would require deeper digging at Kalma Chowk and make going underground from near the General Hospital bridge, increasing the cost manifold.

From Dawn.com May 23, 2011



This was the most recent news.

 

[pak-marine]

it will be brilliant to have a metro system in our cities , it would be a dream come true if this happens ... imagine the congestion it wil help reduce also will be a great favour to environment .. the cities need metros desperately

 

[WAQAS119]

LOne of them was that the modern facility in Lahore will create envy among the people of other cities in the province.

The officials and experts question whether the government has now made some arrangement under which this expected `envy` will not be generated by the metro by the Chinese firm which they claim has no experience of the subject.

From where this damn "Envy" thing came from??? I mean, is this again going be swallowed by dirty politics as in the case of Kala Bagh Dam? Lahore and Karachi are big cities and they should get its metro. Period

 

[aks18]

From where this damn "Envy" thing came from??? I mean, is this again going be swallowed by dirty politics as in the case of Kala Bagh Dam? Lahore and Karachi are big cities and they should get its metro. Period

Dont know about karachi but Ganja brothers will try their best to start this project in lahore as they have done in past by making motorways they really want a billions dollar project to glorify their tenure , well lets see this project is to start in the end of this year hope for best.

 

[Dance]

Seems like plans are coming along for the Lahore one, but what about the Karachi one?

Karachi desperately needs a metro

 

[53fd]

Karachi needs a metro more than Lahore does. Islamabad doesn't need one.

 

[aks18]

Karachi needs a metro more than Lahore does. Islamabad doesn't need one.

well Sindh CM should also think about it ,, actually PPP is busy in looting pakistan and PML N is busy in looting and development in punjab .

 

[Karachiite]

well Sindh CM should also think about it ,, actually PPP is busy in looting pakistan and PML N is busy in looting and development in punjab .

PML-N is only doing some development in Lahore. Nothing is being done in Southern Punjab.

 

[PakistaniPacifist]

Never been to Karachi but Lahore definitely needs a metro system as that place is a nightmare if your looking to go from A-B is a short space of time. Isloo definitely doesn't need one but we won't be seeing one anytime soon in these cities with our corrupt politicians.

Curious to know what Peshawar is like when compared to Lahore or Karachi in terms of traffic congestion.

 

[Dance]

LAHORE:

Construction work on the Lahore Mass Transit Train project will begin on August 14, Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif said on Friday. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the Punjab government and a Chinese company, NORINCO, in this regard on Friday. Of the 27-kilometre (km) railway track from Gajju Matta on Ferozepur Road to Shahdara, about 7 km will be underground.
Khawaja Ahmad Hasaan, the Lahore Transport Company (LTC) chairperson signed the agreement on behalf of the city government. The chief minister and MPA Mehr Ishtiaq Ahmad were also present.
The chief minister said that a feasibility report for the project had put the cost at $2.4 billion.
However, it will now be completed at a cost of $1.7 billion after the Chinese company agreed to forgo profit.
Zhang Shiping, the Norinco vice president, reiterated that the company will not profit from the project.
He also said that Chinese Ex Im bank will provide a foreign exchange loan for the project. Shiping said that the project will be completed in four years for which technology will be provided to the Punjab government.

Transport infrastructure: Kalma Chowk flyover to open from 25th? – The Express Tribune

 

[Al Bhatti]

The development when the colonists were in in Aden or Karachi or Lahore or Hongkong or Bombay or any other cities was better compared to those items. Where as now the development is not even 50% of the required needs of the local population.

They colonists looted these cities but made sure they developed also as they had in their minds that they will stay there for ever. Where as the administration and the top heads in the governments now in these cities after the colonial era want to loot as much as possible and say to hell with the development of the country as they know they are having the chairs and power temporarily.

 

[U-571]

looks like india is invlolved in pakistan's metro project

Sreedharan in Lahore to advise Pak on mass transit rail system


Islamabad, Mar 05: The brains behind the swanky Delhi Metro Rail, E Sreedharan today visited Pakistan on an invite from the government to advise it on plans to build a mass transit rail system in Lahore.

Sreedharan, the Managing Director of the Delhi Metro Railway Corporation, was invited by Suleman Ghani, Chairman Planning and Development of Pakistan's Punjab government, for a four-day visit to Lahore to discuss plans and advise on building a mass rapid transit system in the city, officials here told a news agency.

The Pakistan Foreign Office, however, has not permitted an Indian diplomat from here to go to Lahore to assist Sreedharan during his visit, officials said.

Pakistan planned to build mass transit systems for both Lahore and Karachi to meet increasing rush of the urban transportation.

Sreedharan was expected to be in Lahore till March 8 and would take part in meetings with local officials.

india cant be involved, be have enough engineers and technicians to have our own poject, we are not afghanistan,

after all do the bogies india get is manufactured locally???

read from every where, u guys import from china

 

[shrivatsa]

india cant be involved, be have enough engineers and technicians to have our own poject, we are not afghanistan,

after all do the bogies india get is manufactured locally???

read from every where, u guys import from china

Its manufactured in Gujarat bombardier factory.goole it ignorant.