Atkins is helping to deliver a comprehensive new multimodal land transportation strategy for Brunei Darussalam, aimed at boosting the country’s economy, providing greater travel choice and reducing its environmental impacts. The team will be working alongside lead consultant, SQW China Limited, a London-based economic and management consultancy business.
The study is the first ever transport masterplan that Brunei has developed and it is focused on creating an integrated quality, efficient, safe and sustainable transport service network across rail, road and river. The work supports Brunei’s infrastructure plan ‘Vision 2035’, a forward-looking strategy to diversify the country’s economy moving forward.
Chris Birdsong, chief executive officer for Atkins in Asia Pacific said: “The work on the transport modes master plan is vital to the success of Brunei’s overall vision for its development and to be playing a strategic part in the delivery of that is testament to Atkins growing reputation on the world stage for working hand in hand with Governments. This project is also an important step of developing our business in South East Asia and it shows our capability to allocate resources across the region in areas such as traffic modelling, demographic projections and working with communities.”
Atkins’ team comprises staff from its Asia Pacific, Middle East and the UK transport planning businesses and the work scope will include:
- Traffic forecasting and strategies for major transport corridors
- Socialization/awareness raising, safer school travel initiatives and new sustainable technology
- Key schemes/ programmes and a final “built out” land transport network for Brunei in 2035
- Implementation planning, setting out practical, financial /infrastructural and institutional/ governance requirements for delivery over the short, medium, and long term.
According to Dato Hj Roselan, Chairman of Brunei’s Centre for Strategic and Policy Studies (SSPS), the National Land Transportation Masterplan is a crucial part of the country’s National Plan (Wawasan 2035) to create world-class infrastructure, as well as developing its economy and institutions.
The country’s transportation aspirations include improving connectivity between cities and across borders with a safe, efficient and affordable modern transport system, providing greater access to jobs and services. The proposed new strategy will form part of a formal White Paper set to be introduced in 2013, and linked to wider national economic, social and environmental goals.