Identification and Evaluation of Critical Factors Causing Delay in Mass Transit Projects of Pakistan

Abstract

Mass transit projects is no longer a luxury but a need that has been catered by the governments in order to meet the needs of the people. Bus Rapid Transit corridor which is also known as BRT Peshawar is a mass transit project that began in 29th of October in 2017. The total length of the project is 30 kilometres. The construction has been done in Peshawar that is 160 kilometres west of the capital city of Islamabad. This is the first BRT project for the city of Peshawar that will be benefiting to about 0.75 million people. However, there has been various issues that were raised regarding the cost of the project. It is said that this project is the most expensive BRT project in the entire world as BRT projects in Guangzhou which is situated in China was built in 4.4 million dollars. The effectiveness of the project is dependent on the potential and capabilities of the project manager or implementing units in countering and overcoming the challenges that occur while executing projects. It is notable that the use of effective project management practices can be the source of minimizing the intensity of constraints threatening project feasibility. It is notable that countries like Pakistan have already been facing considerable economic challenges, resource scarcity, and other complex development issues. Among several other issues, the challenges for the country in providing adequate, reliable and convenient mass transit services is considered as the major concern which the public has been facing nationwide. Since the population of the country has been increasing rapidly therefore, it has also further raised the challenges associated with transportation issues. In this regard, the need for the initiation and executing the successful mass transit projects becomes important in order to overcome the growing transportation issues with respect to the rapidly increasing population.