RAWALPINDI: The ground-breaking ceremony of the Rawalpindi-Islamabad Metro Bus Service Project was held in Rawalpindi on Sunday.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif performed the ground-breaking of the project while Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, federal ministers, local members of national and provincial assemblies, and high government officials also attended the ceremony.
The project costing Rs 44.21 billion is being implemented with the objective of providing an international standard mass transit system to facilitate the citizens of twin cities. The project cost also includes a signal free interchange at Peshawar More Islamabad at a cost of Rs 4.7 billion.
It will be completed in record period of 9 to 10 months. The federal and provincial governments will contribute 50 percent each of the total cost.
The track of Metro Bus Service will start from Flashman Hotel Chowk on Murree Road and will end at Pak Secretariat covering total distance of 23.2 km via Murree Road, Faizabad Rawalpindi, IJP Road, 9th Avenue and Jinnah Avenue (Blue Area).
The portion of Metro Bus Service in Rawalpindi from Flashman Hotel to Faizabad having distance of 8.6 km will be on elevated track, while from Faizabad to Pak Secretariat via IJP Road and 9th Avenue up to the destination having distance of 14.6 km, will be on ground.
A total of 24 modern Metro Bus Service stations for the passengers will be built on the whole track out of which 10 will be on Murree Road while the remaining will be in Islamabad.
Initially, 60 buses will run on Metro Bus track from Rawalpindi to Islamabad and more than 150,000 passengers will be benefited with this project.
About 29 kanals land will be acquired for the project, out of which about 20 kanals will be acquired on Murree Road, Rawalpindi.
