Proposal to run electric train on metro bus track
The government is considering replacing the metro buses running between the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi with an electric train. The project would be completed under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
In a major breakthrough, the 100-kilometre (km) long circular railway project has been added to the CPEC, it will run along the Leh Expressway while metro bus track will also be included in the project to give hassle-free traveling experience in the twin cities. The culmination point of the train service will be Islamabad International Airport (IIA).
The company developing the Leh Expressway, Chinese Civil Engineer Construction Company (CCECC), in a meeting proposed the project. The CCECC Focal Person Mir Ateequr Rehman also confirmed the development while talking to The Express Tribune. CCECC has also summoned the designs from the Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) and Metro Bus Authority (MBA).
It being considered to remove buses from the metro bus track and replace it with a tram comprising five coaches.
The buses owned by MBA will be replaced with red trams, those owned by the government will be replaced by green while those of the private proprietors will be orange.
Railways gears up for resumption of train service
Under the new project, a new elevated circular track would be constructed from Soan Bridge to Kutcheri Chowk and on Mall Road.
The trams would be completely electrical and save billions of rupees of the government given to the metro buses under subsidy annually.
The focal person said that Leh Expressway and Circular Railway were huge projects with estimated costs of around $350 million.
The official said that due to such high costs of both projects either under the Public-Private Partnership or Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) basis, they have been included in the CPEC. The focal person said that the main station of the tram service would be the Saddar terminal of the metro bus service. He added that there would be an elevated track for the service from Sawan Bridge to Kutcheri Chowk as well as on Mall Road.
Rehman told that a new track would be laid beyond this point to IIA.
Published in The Express Tribune, Septe0mber 13th, 2020.