The authorities have so far completed over 32 per cent work of Rs 44.31 billion Metro Bus Project (MBP), which will benefit 1.5 to 2 million low income people with Rs 20 fare. An official said that the authorities had divided the project into eight packages including three packages in Rawalpindi and five in Islamabad. The work on Rawalpindi section was awarded to three companies and to five companies in Islamabad, he said.
He said that the three different packages were as follows in Rawalpindi with a total length of 8.6 km: (i) starting from Flashman Hotel to Committee Chowk covering 2.9 km, (ii) from Committee Chowk to Sixth Road with length of 3.2 km; and (iii) from Sixth Road to IJP road with length of 2.5 km.
The official said that the Islamabad portion has been divided into five packages: (i) starting from the IJP Road to the new interchange Peshawar Morr - a distance of 5.3 km; (ii) around Peshawar Morr length of 0.444 km; (iii) from Peshawar Morr to Centaurus - a length of 2.9 km; (iv) from Centaurus to Shaheed-e-Millat Secretariat - a length of 3.1 km; and (iv) from Shaheed-e-Millat Road to Pak Secretariat - length of 2.156 km.
The project was inaugurated by Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif on March 23 and is scheduled to be completed in December 2014. He said that Rawalpindi portion would have 10 bus stations: Flashman's Hotel, Marrir Chowk, Liaquat Bagh, Committee Chowk, Waris Khan Road, Benazir Bhutto Hospital, Rehmanabad, 6th Road, Shamsabad and Faizabad.
In Islamabad portion, there will be 14 bus stations located at IJP Road, Potohar Road, Khyban-e-Johar Road, Faiz Ahmed Faiz Road, Peshawar Mor Interchange, Chamnan station (at G-9/4), Ibne Seena Road, Kachery Road, Centaurus station, Islamabad Stock Exchange station, 7TH Avenue Road, Shaheed-e-Millat Road, Parade Ground station and Pak Secretariat.
Federal and provincial governments are to contribute fifty per cent each to the total cost of the project. The track of the project starts from Flashman's Hotel Chowk on Murree Road and it will end at Pak Secretariat - a total distance of 22.7 km through Murree Road, Faizabad Rawalpindi, IJP Road, 9th Avenue and Jinnah Avenue (Blue Area) of Islamabad. Initially, 60 buses would ply on Metro Bus track from Rawalpindi to Islamabad and more than 1.5 to 2 million passengers are expected to benefit from this project.
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