China, People's Republic of : Developing Multimodal Passenger Transport Hubs

Transport / Road transport (non-urban)

The TA will assist the government to support the planning and implementation of multimodal passenger hubs in

urban areas. It will support development of a multimodal passenger transportation policy through introducing

and incorporating international best practices. The TA will develop guidelines and recommendations to support

the appraisal and development of multimodal passenger hubs with the aim of providing fast and efficient

transfers as well as comfortable and convenient facilities. It will also examine issues of integrating land use in

hub designs and the potential for realizing the land value gains and commercial spinoffs for enhancing the

financial viability of multimodal hub projects. The proposed TA will focus on bringing together examples of best

practice multimodal hubs from around the PRC and internationally; identify key features of best-practice hubs

and determine their impact on system and financial performance. It will publish detailed guidelines on best

practices for different types of hubs; and prepare plans for a scheme to incentivize cooperation among all

modes and stakeholders.

Illustrated Multimodal Hub Development Guide based on International Best Practices. The proposed TA

would focus on bringing together examples of best practice multimodal hubs from around the PRC and

internationally; identify key features and determine their impact on system performance; publish detailed

guidelines on best practices for different types of hubs.

The illustrated guide will be published as a knowledge product for designing and developing multimodal

passenger transport hubs. It will also be created in a web version format which will be uploaded for ready

reference. The book will:

(i) discuss key principles of multi modal hub design;

(ii) explain potential design features particularly in the context of passenger and vehicular flow diagrams;

(iii) discuss and illustrate examples of integrated land use planning for such hubs based on successful

experiences in other countries;

(iv) provide pictures, photographs, design concepts and 3D views to explain best practice; and

(v) include illustrated examples based on reviews of existing designs of completed or hubs under construction.

Recommendations (including indicators) for financial and performance assessment and of multimodal

hubs. A key aspect of the study would be to conduct research on the financial metrics, appraisal methodology,

performance specifications and that could be used to assess the proposed multimodal hubs projects. Examples

may include:

(i) design standards reflected in performance metrics of multimodal transfers such as maximum distances or

maximum transfer times between modes;

(ii) financial standards based on minimum/maximum ratios such as investment/time saved;

(iii) service standards based on information system specifications, ticketing systems, and standards for

signage and other services; and

(iv) model for realizing land value gains and commercial spinoffs to enhance overall financial viability.

The standards may be different depending on the level of passenger demand projected to use the hub, the

number of modes to be integrated, and the size and type of facility. The TA will conduct research on key

financial and performance metrics and establish benchmarks based on best practice multimodal hubs from

around the world for multimodal accessibility, efficiency and financial sustainability.

Incentive scheme for improving institutional coordination. The proposed TA will prepare a detailed scheme

to incentivize cooperation among all modes and stakeholders.

The TA outputs will include stakeholder workshops to disseminate the best practices in multimodal hub design,

promote consensus in strategies for improving inter-agency coordination and a proposed implementation

strategy that identifies potential pilot provinces where recommendations can be tested.

Illustrated multimodal hub development guide published

Recommendations (including indicators) for performance assessment completed

Policy recommendations for improving interagency coordination developed

The consultants will perform their tasks in close consultation with the Ministry of Transport (MOT), other national government agencies, and local governments to ensure full acceptance of the outcome of the technical assistance (TA). The TA will require 25 person-months of consulting services (7 person-months international and 18 person-months national) over 12 months. The following types of specialists will be recruited:

(i) Integrated Urban Transport Planning Specialist (3 person-months international, 5 person-months national)

(ii) Architect (2.5 person-months international, 4 person-months national)

(iii) Financial Specialist (1.5 person months international, 3 person-months national)

(iv) Civil Engineer (3 person-months national)

(v) Institutional Coordination Specialist (3 person-months national)

The objective of the proposed TA is to guide the development and construction of multimodal passenger hubs that will provide fast and efficient transfers, comfortable and convenient facilities, integrated systems, and high quality designs. The scope of work is summarized in the following tasks:

(i) Task 1: Develop and publish an illustrated Guide on developing multimodal hubs based on International Best Practices: Research examples of best practice multimodal hubs from around the People's Republic of China (PRC) and internationally; identify key features and determine their impact on system performance; publish detailed guidelines on best practices for different types of hubs.

(ii) Task 2: Recommendations (including indicators) for financial and performance assessment: Conduct research on key financial and performance metrics and establish benchmarks based on best practice multimodal hubs from around the world for multimodal accessibility, efficiency and financial viability. Identify the key variables and indicators for assessing the financial viability of the project and develop a framework for assessing the same. Recommend options for enhancing the financial viability of multimodal hubs.

(iii) Task 3: Develop an incentive scheme for improving institutional coordination: Prepare a scheme linked to the subsidy program and propose policies to incentivize cooperation among all modes and stakeholders.