Suggesting Urban Mass Transit Technology for Pakistan – A Comparative Analysis of Rail Based Rapid Transit and Bus Rapid Transit

As elsewhere, in Pakistan too, the rapid urbanization, motorization and spatial expansion led to a sharp increase in demand for urban transport facilities and services. Cities in Pakistan are still without mass rapid transit. The existing informal urban public transport system is unable to meet the increasing travel demand. Absence of urban mass rapid transit
system has caused acute increase of cars and motorcycles in Pakistan. To meet increasing travel demand and to fight against severe traffic congestion, large cities like Karachi and Lahore have come up with modern rail based rapid transit options in their cities, while other major cities have not yet considered about it. This paper intends to evaluate existing rail
based rapid transit projects of Karachi and Lahore with Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) technology to suggest an urban mass rapid transit technology that is financially feasible and affordable for low income developing countries like Pakistan.