ISLAMABAD: The city managers on Friday approved the setting up of the Capital Mass Transit Authority and opening of four new metro bus routes.

The Capital Development Authority (CDA) board met at the civic body’s headquarters with chairman Amer Ali Ahmed in the chair. The meeting took up various agenda items including formation of the authority in Islamabad.

The board also approved new routes - Taramri Chowk to Aabpara and Wah Cantonment to N-5 Metro Station - which will be opened by Sept 30. The other two routes - Pirwadhai to Faizabad and Nilor to Khanna Bridge - would be made functional in future.

The meeting’s participants were told that the CDA was going to procure 20 buses for the said two routes from NRTS and would soon receive the first batch of 10 buses.

Approves formation of Capital Mass Transit Authority, conceptual plan of a new housing scheme given go-ahead

Besides, the board was also informed that the CDA with the help of National University of Sciences and Technology (Nust) had started route study to identify potential sectoral routes, which were distributed as F and G series routes and H and I series routes.

The board was told that under this feasibility study, data would be collected through public transport survey, road inventory survey, population density, travel time and other surveys while the existing public transport system in Islamabad would be evaluated.

Under this study, operational design related to the feeder routes network, stakeholders’ opinions, revenue acquisition and other issues will be worked on.

This feasibility study will be completed in 45 days.

The meeting was told that initially 40 buses have been proposed which will be undertaken in phasing along with the route infrastructure development.

The board was told that sectoral routes would be integrated with the bus routes and these feeder routes would increase the ridership complimenting the metro bus stations.

The board was also given a briefing by CDA officials regarding Green Line Metro (Bhara Kahu to Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences) and Blue Line Metro (Koral to Pims). The board was told that both routes have been made operational and buses are being run in mixed traffic.

The board was told that work for construction of bus stops for the said metro lines was in progress and it would be completed by Aug 14.

A source said the meeting was told that on both routes the CDA had received overwhelming response of people. Talking about the Capital Mass Transit Authority, the source said this authority would regulate all metro bus services of Islamabad.

Meanwhile, the board also approved conceptual plan of a new housing scheme – Gandhara Enclave in Zone I near G.T. Road.

The proposed scheme, which is comprised of over 3,000 kanals, will provide around 1,000 plots of various sizes and sites for a number of apartment schemes. The board approved the initial idea and conceptual plan of this scheme, which will be developed by CDA in future.

Published in Dawn, July 30th, 2022