Pakistani PM inaugurates metro bus service in Islamabad

Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Thursday inaugurated a metro bus service that runs between the capital city of Islamabad and the nearby garrison city of Rawalpindi.

Around 150,000 commuters will benefit from the service daily, officials said.

Sharif told a well-attended ceremony that the mega project will provide hassle-free, comfortable and economical traveling facility to the residents of the twin cities.

"The iconic project of Rawalpindi-Islamabad Metro Bus is a symbol of changing Pakistan," the prime minister told the gathering that was attended by senior political leaders, provincial governors, chief ministers and Islamabad-based diplomats.

A dedicated signal-free track of 23 kilometer has been constructed between Islamabad and Rawalpindi with 24 stations equipped with modern facilities to facilitate the commuters of the twin cities.

The 23-kilometer track of international standard has been constructed in 13 months despite various challenges. Its total cost is 44.84 billion rupees (440.06 million U.S. dollars). The Rawalpindi portion of 8.6-kilometer road is overhead track.

There are 24 bus stations on the route, 10 in Rawalpindi and 14 in the federal capital. These stations have modern facilities like computerized ticketing system, escalators, elevators for special persons and Wi-Fi.

In all, 68 buses have started operating on the route as of June 4 and each bus has a capacity of 150 passengers. The number of buses will later be increased up to 100.

The eastern Lahore city already has this bus service and the prime minister announced that the federal government would provide gift of a metro bus project to people of the southern port city of Karachi as well. Endi