ASIA: THE RAIL TAKES OVER

This article reports on the study of mass public transport projects, including metro and light rail systems, by Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, India, and The Philippines. All these projects aim to increase the proportion of urban travel by public transport, and are motivated by the awareness of national and local authorities that public transport has a top priority in urban development. Most of the projects include a significant private element. It is vital to have a contractual or statutory framework for urban public transport, and to coordinate all public transport services. All the countries considered have economic growth rates between 6% and 8.3%, and urban population growth rates in order of 5%. They also have rapidly expanding car ownership, a high growth in mobility. In all cases the current urban public transport services, mostly buses, are unable to meet the demand for travel. Jakarta, Indonesia, has a regional railway project, designed to cater for its metropolitan area. The modernised public transport system in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, will be based on four modes: rail, light rail, monorail, and buses. Three large transport projects have been started in Bangkok, Thailand. These are: (a) the Hopewell project to develop two underground lines, two light rail systems, a railway line and an urban motorway; (b) the Tanayong project for a light rail transit; and (c) a third light rail project. Projects are being developed in several Indian cities, including several light rail systems, and private partners are being sought. In Manila, The Philippines, an additional light rail line is planned. The French title of this article is: (a) Asia: le rail prend le relais. The German title is: Asia: die Schiene gewinnt an Bedentung. This is a special issue of the journal Public Transport to commemorate the 50th International Congress of UITP, held in Sydney, Australia, May 2-7, 1993.