ASEAN cities focus on BRT development-

Bus rapid transit (BRT) systems are bus-based mass transit systems designed to operate at capacities at or near those of metro systems. Of the 10 Southeast Asian countries, currently, four have operational BRT systems, together spanning a length of over 258 km, with an average daily ridership of around 385,000 passengers.

Indonesia has the largest operational BRT network, spanning around 224 km. Transjakarta operates a network of over 207 km, covering 12 corridors in Jakarta. The system, which commenced operations in 2004, is the world’s largest BRT system and Southeast Asia’s first BRT system. Recently, in March 2017, Transjakarta announced plans to commence services on the elevated BRT-13 in 2017. The corridor will span 9.3 km from Ciledug to Tendean, covering 12 stations. The daily ridership is estimated to be 40,000 passengers. A fleet of 100 buses will be deployed.

The Trans Tangerang BRT in Indonesia spans 17 km from Poris Plawad to Jatiuwung. In January 2017, the Tangerang City Department of Transportation invited bids for the operation of the Trans Tangerang BRT corridor. Further, in March 2017, Trans Tangerang announced plans to deploy electronic ticketing for fare payment on the system in collaboration with Bank Jabar Banten.

In Indonesia, the TransSemarang BRT system comprises six corridors. Since TransSemarang does not have a dedicated BRT corridor, it is not considered a dedicated BRT system.

The most recent operational BRT system is the Hanoi BRT system, which commenced operations in January 2017. The corridor spans 14.7 km from Kim Ma to Yen Nghia, covering 21 stations. A fleet of 90 passenger buses has been deployed; the buses operate at a speed of up to 22 km per hr. Service frequency is three to five minutes. Magnetic tickets and smart cards are used for fare collection. The $294.89 million BRT system is part of the Hanoi Urban Transport Development Project, which received a $155 million loan from the World Bank.

Upcoming BRT projects

Around 50 upcoming BRT projects, spanning a length of around 2,021 km are planned to be developed by 2025 globally. Of these, seven systems, spanning a length of over 208 km are planned to be developed in four Southeast Asian countries, namely, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Laos.

Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur-Klang Valley BRT: The line will span 34 km and cover 25 stations. It will connect to the light rail transit (LRT), mass rapid transit (MRT) and KTM Komuter commuter rail lines. The end-to-end journey time will be 40 minutes. It is expected to have a daily ridership of 400,000 passengers. The project is in the procurement stage and is scheduled to start service in 2018.

In January 2017, Suruhanjaya Pengangkutan Awam Darat – Land Public Transport Commission – invited requests for proposal to develop the BRT corridor. The scope of work includes comprehensive planning, design, financing, construction, operations, maintenance and upgrade of the BRT project.

The Philippines

Cebu BRT: The BRT corridor will span 23 km and cover 33 stations. It will be developed in two phases.

  • Phase I will span 16 km connecting Bulacao to the business district.
  • Phase II will span 7 km connecting the Ayala Center to Talamban.

 

The project is being developed on a public-private partnership basis and is scheduled to be completed by 2019. A total of 176 bi-articulated buses will be deployed. In April 2017, the Project Development and Monitoring Facility in the Philippines approved funding to conduct a feasibility study and secure transaction advisory services for the operation and management of the BRT project.

Metro Manila BRT Line 1: Line 1 will span 12.3 km from Manila City Hall to Philcoa in Quezon City, covering 16 stations. It is expected to be completed by 2020. The project will cost $109.4 million, of which $44.8 million will be provided by the Philippines government.

Vietnam

Da Nang BRT: The BRT corridor will span 31.8 km from the Da Nang International Airport to Hoi An City in the neighbouring Quang Nam province. The line will connect the Hoa Khanh Industrial Park in the northwest to Viet-South Korea College School in the southeast. It will cross the city centre and the new Dragon Bridge.

The project is part of the $272.1 million World Bank-funded sustainable development project sanctioned in 2013.  A fleet of 10 standard BRT buses will be deployed on this route when service commences in 2018.

In January 2017, Vietnam’s Da Nang Priority Infrastructure Investment Project Management invited bids in two packages for the project. Package I includes supply and installation of an automated fare collection system and the intelligent transportation system for BRT routes. Package II includes the supply and installation of traffic signal systems and infrastructure building information and communications technology for the mainline BRT project.

Ho Chi Minh City BRT: The project involves the development of a 23 km line from Vo Van Kiet Boulevard to Mai Chi Tho Street, covering 28 stops. Of the total construction cost ($137.5 million), the city government is providing $13.5 million.  It is scheduled to be completed by 2018.

A total of 28 compressed natural gas-powered buses will be deployed. The daily ridership is expected to be 31,600 passengers in its first year of operation.

Hanoi BRT: Hanoi announced plans to develop eight BRT routes by 2030. In February 2017, the Hanoi Department of Transport announced plans to launch a second Hanoi BRT route connecting the Lang-Hoa Lac Hi-Tech Zone and Kim Ma Street in Ba Dinh district. The revenue service is expected to commence by the second quarter of 2017.

Laos

Vientiane: An 84 km BRT network is planned to be developed. It includes an 11.5 km dedicated bus lane from the Wattay International Airport to Nongbone village in the Xaysettha district, covering 24 stations. The system will deploy a fleet of 96 mini-buses. Spain-based IDOM and the Institute for Transportation and Policy Development (ITDP) have provided preparatory technical assistance. ITDP China has prepared the detailed conceptual design.

Funding dominated by multilateral agencies

Multilateral agencies such as the Asian Development Bank (ADB), European Investment Bank (EIB) and the World Bank are very active in funding BRT projects in the region.

The Metro Manila BRT will cost $109.4 million, of which $64.6 million will be provided by the World Bank and the Clean Technology Fund. The funding was approved in March 2017.

Of the total construction cost of $137.5 million of the Ho Chi Minh City BRT, the World Bank is providing $124 million.

In January 2017, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic received a loan of $70 million for the Vientiane BRT project under the city’s Sustainable Urban Transport Project. The loan has been provided by ADB ($35 million), the OPEC Fund for International Development ($15 million) and EIB ($20 million).

A final word

The development of BRT systems in Southeast Asia has certainly picked up pace due to rapid urbanisation and growing traffic congestion in the region. The inherent characteristics of a BRT – cost effective, high capacity and easy to implement as compared to other mass transport modes such as metro – make it a viable transport solution for cities struggling with poor air quality and lack of formal public transport systems. The system is a better alternative when compared to LRT or MRT systems.  BRT stations are designed in such a way that they can be easily accessed from surrounding areas, and if combined with pedestrian paths, cycle tracks and access to other transport modes, they provide good intermodal connectivity. Thus, the development of BRT systems in the Asian region will help decongest cities and reduce pollution levels.