DIRECTOR

UMAR FAROOQ (Director)

  • Masters of Science – Urban and Regional Planning, Specialization: Transportation, Florida State University; USA.
  • Bachelor of Science – City and regional Planning, University of Engineering and Technology; Lahore (Highest Honor and Gold Medal).

He is member of:

    • Pakistan Council of Architects and Town Planners (PCATP): P-0185.
    • American Planning Association, USA.
    • Institute of Transportation Engineers, USA.
    • Transportation Planning Division, American Planning Association; USA.

As a Transportation Planner, with specialization in computer modeling has varied and an extensive experience in the transportation studies and analysis of the interstate system, expressways and turnpike projects in the USA; built computer models for these projects.

In Pakistan worked on a variety of the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank funded projects.

Also, experience of working in the transportation sector on the donor funded projects in Indonesia.

As a Senior Transport Modeling Specialist (International) in Jakarta, Indonesia; worked on the ADB funded; “Indonesia Transport Sector Development Strategy and Policy, Regional Road Development Project (RRDP)”. Working for the MoNational Development Planning / National Development Planning Agency (BAPPENAS) In a JV of PT. Anugerah Kiridapradana, Don IL Engineering Consultant Co. Ltd. & P. T. Duta Cipta Mandiri.

Worked as an advisor / coordinator on the ADB funded project of the up-gradtation of the main-line of Pakistan Railways from; Lahore to Peshawar in an international JV of NTU, Denmark and Railsticks, Germany.

Worked as a transport sector specialist on the studies for the cities of Sialkot and Sahiwal on the ADB funded intermediate cities, infrastructure improvements projects.

Has hands-on experience of the preparation, conducting and analysis of the variety of, such as MCC, OD and Speed traffic surveys; throughout Pakistan and running the transportation gravity model.

ith Halcrow Fox, UK worked on the variety of projects, such as; the Lahore Light Rail pre-feasibility, extensive Lahore public transport studies, privatization of the national highways; Islamabad expressway traffic and feasibility study; the Environmental Risk Assessment for the ICI Paints Factory, Lahore; the Pre-feasibility Study for an express bus service operation, with special emphasis on the Lahore-Islamabad Motorway corridor.

Also prepared independently for the Daewoo Corporation, Seoul; Korea; the Commercial Feasibility Study for an express bus service operation, with special emphasis on the Lahore-Islamabad Motorway corridor.

As a Senior Transport Planner, Lahore worked for the MVA; UK did the project coordination, data collection and analysis for the Study on Rapid Mass Transit System for Lahore. Did rapid appraisal of the various prospective mass transit corridors and prepared the traffic survey questionnaires along with detailed survey plans.

Started the much needed, pioneering and challenging work in Pakistan of the Transportation Planning and Traffic Impact Studies for the miscellaneous high rise developments, such as Ocean Heights, Karachi; “The Mall” (formerly Sofetel Hotel), Karachi, Gulberg Galleria (formerly Marriott Hotel), Lahore; Lahore City Centre, DHA; Lahore, Pakistan Business Centre, Karachi; Lucky One Development Project, Karachi; Cube Centre, Karachi; EFU Building Karachi; Shaista Estate Project, Karachi; Hommie Katrak Chambers (HKC), Karachi; The Land Mark, Karachi; Grand Hyatt Development Project, Islamabad; Marriott Hotel Project, Lahore and Novotel Hotel, Lahore.

As a Transport Planner with the Egis International, France, part of the team of the project, “TA 46263-001 REG: Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC): Midterm Review of the Transport and Trade Facilitation Strategy and Implementation Action Plan”. The purpose is to review the progress in implementation of the CAREC countries (Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Pakistan) program so far and its outcomes; and to recommend refinements to the CAREC strategy and an implementation action plan to 2017.

As an Urban Transport Specialist for PADECO Co., Ltd.; Japan responsible for the, “Data Collection, Transport Model Implication Analysis and an Effect Analysis for the Lahore Case Study for the ADB funded, Sustainable Fuel Partnership (SFP) project. Other Cities Include Colombo, Kathmandu, Tbilisi, Guangdong Province in China and Beijing Shanghai High Speed Rail Link”.

Worked as a Transport Specialist for the Dainchi Consultants Inc., Japan and prepared the transport policy and the institutional component of the World Bank assisted Transport Studies of the Five Big Cities of Punjab.

As a Transport Finance Specialist for the Wilber Smith Associates (WSA), USA / ECIL, Karachi prepared the Transport Finance component of the ADB funded Pakistan Transport Policy.

Was Transport Planner / Traffic Engineer for the ECIL Karachi, responsible for the traffic surveys, transportation planning and traffic engineering component for the design of the Interchange at Zero Point, Islamabad.

As a Transport Planner / Traffic Engineer for Kampsax, Finnroad / ECIL, Karachi, part of the team that prepared the road safety and the traffic engineering Reform Component of the ADB assisted Sindh Road Sector Development Programme. Did the Road Safety Audit of the numerous provincial roads.

Worked as a Transport Planner / Traffic Engineer for the Louis Berger Group, USA / ECIL, Karachi; responsible for the landside transportation forecasting, analysis and planning of the state of the art New Islamabad International Airport (NIIA) facility, which is the first Green Field airport in Pakistan; spread out on 3,200 acres of land.

Prepared the Pakistan Transport Sector Strategy for the Asian Development Bank. The Strategy covered all the sub-sectors and had interaction with a variety of stakeholders. The study laid emphasis on the measures related to poverty reduction, community and women participation, institutional alignment, sustainable funding sources, private sector participation and variety of other measures.

As Transportation Economist in Joint Venture with the NESPAK and the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) worked on the World Bank funded project, “Institutional Study for the Maintenance of the Roads in the city of Lahore”. Responsible for the sustainable resource and the revenue generation component for the effective maintenance of roads in Lahore. The study involved all the stakeholders with community participation and the emphasis was to link resource generation for road maintenance with poverty reduction and also to improve the living environment of the masses.

Worked with BCEOM of France on the feasibility and traffic studies of the Sheikhupura Dera Ghazi Khan section of the motor-way and developed a computer model for the entire corridor.

For NESPAK as an Adviser and Toll Expert; developed Toll Diversion Sub-model for the traffic forecasting and analysis; based on toll sensitivity analysis with varying tolls for the Commercial Feasibility of the nine motorways and expressways projects, with a total length of about 1,840 Km.; on the basis of BOT or Financing as a part of the national network plan for the National Highway Authority.

Developed computer aided International Standard Traffic Signs for the arterial roads of the city of Lahore.

Did traffic forecasting and analysis of the Asian Development Bank funded Farm to Market Roads project for the six districts in the province of Punjab.

Also involved in the preparation of the Master Plans of the city of Quetta and Mirpur and the Chunian and the Kasur Industrial Estates.

In the USA worked as a Transportation Planner for the Post Buckley Schuh & Jernigans (PBS&J) Inc. The PBS&J is the biggest consulting firm of Florida and ranked in the top 15 engineering firms in the USA.

In the US for PBS&J Inc. involved in the Transportation Modeling, extensively used micro, mini and mainframe computers; using Florida Standard Urban Area Transportation Model System (FSUTMS), MINUTP and other transportation software for the transportation planning analysis for both the public and the private clients. Worked on a variety of road fund, bonds and tolls studies, with analysis of the Vehicle Operating Costs and maintenance aspects of the roads.

He has attended numerous international conferences, seminars and meetings in Pakistan, USA, Middle East and Far East.

He has also visited the countries, such as; USA, Canada, England, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Indonesia, Turkey, Philippines, Nepal, Uzbekistan.