New mass transit for capital on the cards

Top official says service aims to provide superior and affordable transport facilities to citizens

ISLAMABAD:

Under the vision of Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, city managers have started thrashing out an inclusive and a comprehensive plan to provide modern and full-fledged mass transit service to the citizens of Islamabad and its surrounding areas.

Sources said that the latest public transport system will be introduced in Islamabad by 2024. After this, the people of Islamabad will have good quality and comfortable transport service with affordable fares.

The metro bus service between Rawalpindi and Islamabad and the red, ornage, green and blue lines intra-city buses are already providing much relief to the people facing inflation and increasing fuel costs, 200 buses will be run on the 13 routes initially under the new mass transit service, top officials said.

Officials sources said that the prime minister, soon after coming to power, inaugurated a metro bus service from Peshawar Mor to the New Islamabad International Airport and he wanted to cover more routes and destinations under the new mass transit service.

The sources said that now, the government is introducing the Silver Line on the under-construction IGP Road, the Green Line from T Chowk Rawat to the Islamabad airport, up to Murree Expressway to Margalla Road and from Margalla Road to Taxila.

According to the sources, on the directives of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, city managers have put together a plan to launch the new transit bus service. The prime minister will lay the foundation of the transport project very soon, they said.

According to the sources, the public transport project, which has been prepared with the help of experts from a top university in the capital, will have 13 routes initially and it will be expanded over time.

Under the project, Route-1 will be from Police Foundation to Faiz Ahmed Faiz Station, Route-2 from Allama Iqbal University to Pothohar Station, Route-3 be from Shifa International Hospital to I/8 Markaz, Route-4 from PIMS Hospital to Embassy Road via G-7, G-6, Melody Market, NADRA stop, Route-5 from D-12 to G-10, Route-6 from F-11 to F-8 Markaz, Route-7 from G-11, G-10, G-9 and G8 Markaz.

Similarly, Route-3-A will be from PIMS Hospital to Secretariat via Jinnah Super Market and Super Market, Route-3-B from Aabpara to Taramri Chowk, Nilore and up to Khana Bridge, Route-9 will be from Pirwidhai Chowk to Faizabad, IJP Road, Route-10-B will be from 17 to 26 Number Chungi, Route-11 will be from I/16 to 26 Number Chungi.

Sources said since the metro bus service operating between the twin cities and on some routes in Islamabad was providing affordable and quality travel facilities to the residents of city areas, there was a dire need to expand the project and provide modern transport facilities to the residents including women and students of far-off areas, who have to change two to three vehicles to reach their destination.

Red, orange, blue and green lines witness a flood of passengers and travellers daily which calls for its expansion to cover more areas and destinations, officials said.

The metro bus service is covering 22.5 kilometres from Islamabad Pak Secretariat to Rawalpindi Sadar. The orange line is covering 25.6-km area from the Peshawar Mor interchange to the Islamabad airport, The green and blue lines introduced in July 2022 cover intra-city routes. This mass transit has an e-ticketing system. The red line is run by the Punjab Mass Transit Authority while the remaining services are run by the Capital Development Authority (CDA).

Passengers enjoy the facility of the modern buses after every five minutes and of the shuttle service at after 25 minutes.

The officials said that work on new metro bus stations on the motorway was also under way for the facilitation of the citizens.

According to CDA Chairman Noorul Amin Maingal, providing comfortable and low-priced transport service to the masses was their mission. In the first phase, he said, work on important highways and roads will be completed on an emergency basis.

Talking to The Express Tribune, he said that after the completion of IJP Road, the Islamabad Expressway, Margalla Road and the Bhara Kahu Expressway, a new public and mass transit will be introduced on these routes. “The transport network will be upgraded under the one-link, one-transport programme. The citizens of Islamabad will enjoy the latest facilities of transport by 2024,” he said.

Sources said that under the proposed mass transit project, modern air-conditioned buses would be run on the routes to ferry thousands of commuters including women, students and office goers daily.

A large number of people including students travel within the city areas and its suburbs but owing to the non-availability of decent transportation, they have to face a lot of difficulties as they have to change two to three buses or vans to reach their destinations.

The proposed mass transit will also help do away with the monopoly of private transporters, the officials said.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 26^th, 2023.