India BRT Round-up

Posted: 01 Jul 2007

Related to: BRT in India, Developing High-Quality, Low-Cost Mass Transit, India
Contributed by: Shreya Gadepalli, ITDP

In April, a national BRT workshop was co-organized by ITDP and GTZ in association with IUT India (Institute of Urban Transport) and the Municipal Corporation of the host city, Pune. The workshop was sponsored by the national Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD) and provided a platform for cities developing BRT under JNNURM to present the status of implementation and the hurdles they face. Presentations made by Indian and international experts, and interaction with participants gave decision makers from many cities insights into the best practices worldwide.

In May, ITDP organized a study tour for a delegation from the MoUD to the cities of Bogotá and Pereira, Colombia to learn about Bus Rapid Transit systems and other urban rejuvenation efforts. The delegation was headed by the Indian Union minister of Urban Development, Dr. S Jaipal Reddy. The visit was fruitful and also resulted in signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Governments of India and Colombia on “Co-operation in the field of Urban Public Transport Systems and Urban Transport Planning”.

As a follow-up to the BRT workshop organized in Pune in April, another workshop with a special section on capacity building of trainers and consultants is proposed in Ahmedabad in the second half of September 2007. CEPT University and ITDP would co-organize the workshop under the aegis of the MoUD and Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation.