CDA directed to improve public transport facility

The Prime Minister's Task Force on Islamabad has aimed at the Capital Development Authority (CDA) to launch a decent public transport facility for residents of the central assets at the earliest.



Prime Minister's Task Force on Islamabad Chairman Faisal Sakhi Butt in a meeting held with CDA Chairman Engineer Farkhand Iqbal said that the provision of transfer facility for the residents is a main concern of the task force, which would help overcome the ever-increasing complexity of civic and development problems. He called for some viable solution to resolve the chronic issues of transport facilities, which is the need of the hour to facilitate the residents.

Faisal Sakhi Butt said that development projects worth billions of rupees had been executed without having any consultation with the residents of the city and other relevant stakeholders. The authority must take the residents of the city on board while executing any development project, he said. The government is committed to promoting the concept of public-private partnership to make the city the hub of economic activities.

He said that the prime minister had taken keen interest in development of the federal capital on modern lines and for this purpose the issues neglected during successive regimes had to be resolved. On the occasion, CDA Chairman Engineer Farkhand Iqbal said the authority was already working on the plan to launch a decent transport facility, providing the best travelling facility to the residents at nominal charges.

Thanks: dailytimes.com.pk

Halloween Costumes

Public transport workers expand Cairo strike

Public transport workers and drivers in Greater Cairo went on a partial strike Wednesday demanding better pay, working conditions and buses after they failed to reach an agreement through negotiations with the Public Transportation Authority (PTA).

The strike began three days ago in the Mazalat Garage, but spread Wednesday morning to Nasr City, El Moneeb, Giza, Imbaba, El Ter’a Mazalat, Basateen, El Ameriya, Gesr El-Suez, 6th of October, according to the Center of Socialist Studies.

The workers believe that more public bus hubs will join the strike in the next few days, shutting down all public transportation.

The public transport sector employs about 40,000 workers. Previous nationwide strikes in 2007 and 2009 and during the January 25 uprising led to the establishment of transport workers’ independent trade union last March. . . .

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CHENNAI METRO RAIL(CMRL) A GOOD EFFORT TO REDUCE TRAFFIC

Now a days chennai metropolis has been growing rapidly and the traffic volumes on the roads have also been increasing enormously. Hence the need for a new rail based rapid transport system has been felt and towards this objective the Government of Tamil Nadu have decided to implement the Chennai Metro Rail Project. This project aims at providing the people of Chennai with a fast, reliable, convenient, efficient, modern and economical mode of public transport, which is properly integrated with other forms of public and private transport including buses, sub-urban trains and MRTS.

A Detailed Project Report (DPR) relating to the Chennai Metro Rail Project was prepared and submitted by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Limited (DMRC) who have successfully designed and implemented the Delhi Metro Rail Project. The DPR envisages the creation of 2 initial corridors under the proposed phase-1 of the Chennai Metro Rail Project as shown below:

Corridor	Length
Washermenpet to Airport	23.1 kms.
Chennai Central to St.Thomas Mount	22.0 kms.
Total	45.1 kms.

Corridor-1:
Washermenpet – Broadway (Prakasam Road) – Chennai Central Station – Rippon Building – along Cooum River – Government Estate – Tarapore Towers – Spencers – Gemini – Anna Salai – Saidapet – Guindy – Chennai Airport.

Corridor-2:
Chennai Central – along EVR Periyar Salai – Vepery – Kilpauk Medical College – Aminjikarai – Shenoy Nagar – Annanagar East – Anna Nagar 2nd avenue – Tirumangalam – Koyambedu – CMBT – along Inner Ring Road – Vadapalani – Ashok Nagar – SIDCO – Alandur – St. Thomas Mount.

Tentatively, Phase-1 of the project is programmed for completion in the financial year 2014-2015

Google Maps adds live public transport updates

On Wednesday, the company introduced live public transport updates, including departure times and alerts about service interruptions, for Google Maps for desktops and mobile. The tool is kicking off with coverage for four US cities — San Francisco, San Diego, Boston and Portland, Oregon — and in Madrid and Turin in Europe, Google said in a blog post.

"Since this is a new feature, we elected to work with a few innovative partners, to develop the feature and make sure it actually works with the business constraints of transit agencies," a Google spokesperson told ZDNet UK, but was unable to give details of the selection criteria.

To use the feature, people click on a transit icon on a map to get alerts about delays or other service interruptions, as well as up-to-date departure times. They can also search for a station and click on the result to get the same information.

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Public transport still not the first choice for youth

Though 25 pc of the public transport users in the UAE are within the age group of 18 to 25, majority of youngsters continue to opt for cars as their primary mode of transport.

According to a recent survey, 66 per cent of new car buyers in the UAE falls in the age group of 18-29 years, 61 per cent of which are first time buyers.

The survey, conducted by Tetrahedron Consulting, also shows that 41 per cent of motorists drive their vehicles just for fun.
Khaleej Times spoke to a number of young drivers, new car buyers as well as a senior public transport official about their opinions on the survey.

A majority of the youths said they preferred driving over public transport, despite drastic improvement of mass transit system in the UAE, particularly in Dubai and to some extent in Abu Dhabi.

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Ticket to ride: Suns urge fans to take public transport

Gold Coast Suns officials are urging Gold Coast footy fans to utilise existing public transport when travelling to Cararra Stadium this Saturday night.

The Suns' Traffic Management Plan is the one aspect of Saturday's historic match against the Geelong Cats that has not been fully tested - that could not be fully tested - prior to game day.

Suns Chief Operating Officer Andrew Travis said the Plan has been set up to make use of the Gold Coasts existing public transport infrastructure.

"The best way to access the stadium is via the public transport network," Travis said.

"Tickets to the game will provide free travel to and from the game on surfside buses or Queensland Rail, and our whole traffic management plan has been set up around utilising the existing public transport system what is in place on the Gold Coast."

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Public transport workers compete in bus Olympics

The eyes of the public transportation world (or the state, at least) turn toward Volusia County this weekend, as Votran's South Daytona headquarters hosts three statewide competitions pitting bus drivers, van drivers, and mechanics against each other.

Volusia County Council member Josh Wagner tried Thursday to maneuver a 35-foot Votran hybrid bus through a modified (meaning easier) version of the road course that bus drivers from across the state will roll through Saturday during the Triple Crown Roadeo. (Thursday was media day for the event.)

The Triple Crown Roadeo is a combination of three statewide competitions -- the Paratransit Roadeo, the Fixed Route Roadeo, and a maintenance, or mechanics competition -- that are normally held in two different locations. Organizers decided to combine the events this year to cut costs.

Employees from 11 urban bus systems and 20 rural paratransit systems will take written tests, driving tests, personal appearance and vehicle maintenance tests, and compete in other events today and Saturday.

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Transport smartcard launched in Auckland

Bus users in Auckland will soon be able to take advantage of a new smartcard for public transport.

Auckland Transport today announced the introduction of the card as part of a phased lead-in to the full introduction of the region's first fully integrated ticketing system next year.

The launch of the "hop-on and hop-off" (Hop) smartcard follows earlier announcements on the development of an integrated system and a participation agreement between Auckland Transport, Snapper and NZ Bus on working with the new central system.

The Hop smartcard replaces Go Rider cards and will be rolled out over coming months.

The card will simplify how people pay for and use public transport and will make boarding faster and easier, Auckland Transport chief executive David Warburton said.

It will also be rolled out for use on NZ Bus services.

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