Metro Bus Service for airport to be operational by March next year

Islamabad : Capital Development Authority (CDA) has engaged Consultants to design the missing facilities for Metro Bus Service to New Islamabad International Airport which will be made operational by CDA in the first quarter of 2022.

The procurement of buses and construction of the Command and Control Centre will be ensured in the next four months and the Metro Bus service will be made operational by CDA in the first quarter of 2022, the official source told this agency on Thursday. He said that CDA has also planned to construct a bus depot worth Rs800 million at Peshawar Morr where buses the CDA plans to run on different routes in the future would be parked.

The idea to use one depot for all buses is aimed at avoiding investing again and again on different depots, he added. Besides establishing a traffic control room, a smart traffic management system will be introduced to check violations of traffic rules and even overloading by local transports.

Directions have been also issued to procure pre-engineered structures and steel frames so that the depot and control centre is completed in the next four months.

He said a few months ago, the National Highway Authority (NHSA) had handed over the Peshawar Morr for the metro bus project to the civic agency. After the approval of PC-1, the source said that the process has been started to procure 45 buses which will be run on the route. He said that infrastructure works on the Metro Bus Service to New Islamabad International Airport have been executed by the National Highway Authority.

However certain essential items/equipment such as Ticketing System, Security Surveillance System, ITS, Command & Control Centre, Bus Depot with ancillaries, etc. have not been undertaken by NHA but are required to operationalize the system.