In many sectors and industries, the transformation is already underway. Enhancements in soft infrastructure – such as planning and logistics – will help the country to fast-track its enormous potential. Transport is a telling example, as the network is disjointed at critical locations and lacks connectivity for the ‘last mile’ of journeys.

The Government of Pakistan recognised that an integrated national transport policy will help improve the social and professional opportunities of millions – and provide a key for unlocking long-term growth.

Transforming Pakistan's Infrastructure: A Path to Growth

Pakistan is building fast. New motorways and highways, expanded airports, and modern maritime terminals are being constructed across the country, better connecting the country to its neighbours. However, the best conceived investment decisions rely on coordinated planning. Without a national transport policy or Ministry of Transport, the civil service in Pakistan lacked the necessary support and visibility to join the dots.

Addressing Pakistan's Transport Challenges

The Government of Pakistan (GoP) recognised the potential gains that institutional improvements and policy interventions could bring to the transport network – and the daily lives of its citizens. Assisted by UK aid from the UK government and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Mott MacDonald was contracted to draw up and implement a new National Transport Policy. We were also commissioned to create a supporting Master Plan, with dedicated sector plans, that will set out the strategic direction of change for each transport mode, prioritise investments and projects, and improve collaboration and management across the transport sector.

The first step was bringing all the relevant people into the conversation, as the concepts of transport planning and modelling were largely unknown and unpracticed in Pakistan. Our team reached out to experts from across our own network, who each had the skills to assist the various government agencies.

We brought in ports and shipping people from Australia; highway, logistics and aviation from Singapore and the UK; urban and public transport from the Czech Republic; while drawing on our local experience from our offices in Pakistan. Importantly, our deputy project leader is an ex-officer in the Pakistan civil service, and so understands the intricacies of government workings and what is needed to reform them.

Our team of experts guided seven large-scale events to agree on the implementation of a comprehensive transport plan. People from local government, academia, private sector, and development partners all participated to incorporate the policy and specific sector plans and develop an overarching policy and Master Plan that would ensure effective transport investments.

Future-Proofing Pakistan's Transport Infrastructure

The intended impact of this project will be a coordinated, efficient, safe, and sustainable transport system in Pakistan, in support of realising Pakistan’s Vision 2025. The outcome will be the improved capacity of the GoP to plan, develop and manage its transport system to this end.

Pakistan now has the opportunity to match vast investments from its Public Sector Development Plans and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridors (CPEC) programme with a cohesive policy and planning framework. This is Pakistan’s first ever adopted and implemented multimodal transport policy covering road, rail, air, ports, pipelines, inland waterways, as well as urban transport and multimodal logistics.

Senior government officials have formed a technical working committee that will guide through Pakistan’s first national transport policy and master plan, and there is growing support for a new and integrated Ministry of Transport.

The policy, master plan and associated plans will also help to:

• Improve connectivity from its ports to Western China and Central Asia to help leverage its advantageous position under the CPEC agreement, rather than providing a corridor for others.
• Support the implementation of UN conventions for international goods transport.
• Support Pakistan in improving safety on its road network through a wide-reaching set of measures that address management systems, user behaviour, infrastructure and vehicle improvements, and post-crash response.
• Future-proof transport infrastructure by new methods of contracting, tackling road deterioration caused by inadequate maintenance and truck overloading.