blog: Transforming transport in Pakistan
Wednesday 6th September 2017
Imagine a city of 20 million people without a decent public transport system. That’s Karachi, the commercial hub of Pakistan, and the capital of Sindh province.
With its public transport declining for decades, the Government of Sindh asked for help. JICA stepped in, followed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), who commissioned ITP to provide technical assistance on one of the six proposed BRT lines.
Our role was to develop the BRT line to the preliminary design stage. But this didn't just include the design itself, it also included:
- Recommending improvements and developments to Karachi’s and Sindh’s institutional set-up.
- Carrying out an analysis of economic and financial viability.
- Assessing environmental impacts and how to mitigate them.
- Setting out measures to make it easier for women and disabled people to access the BRT.
Having successfully completed our the preliminary design commission, we have been appointed by the Government of Sindh (with ADB finance) to project manage the BRT line's development to the commencement of construction. Again, there is more to this commission than project management. We continue to:
- Develop, and build capacity for, Government of Sindh’s institutions.
- Provide all the coordination and contractual frameworks, including operational and infrastructure design.
- Establish and manage a comprehensive communications strategy.
- Consult with, and raise awareness of, all key stakeholders.
Whilst our input is focused specifically on one of the five BRT lines being delivered, we are helping the Government of Sindh to develop an optimal BRT system for Karachi, providing assistance on system integration and branding.
The Karachi context provides both challenge and excitement, and we are proud to be part of helping Karachi develop into a world class city.
If you'd like to find out more about BRT in Pakistan, take a look at the video below or contact Peter Armitage on armitage@itpworld.net.
