ISLAMABAD, April 24 ( Alliance News): Buses for the Islamabad International Airport Metro Bus Service from Peshawar Junction have finally departed from China and are expected to reach the federal capital by the middle of next month.
According to details, in order to speed up the service, CDA chairman Amir Ali Ahmed has increased the number of officers in the team provided to run the bus service.
The CDA has also written to the National Highway Authority (NHA), the bus route contractor, to complete all civil works as soon as possible and hand them over to stations and route operators.
The CDA Chairman visited various sections of the bus track and was briefed on the site by the Project Director (PD) and his team in which the number has been increased from 3 persons to 10 persons.
Project Director Qazi Omar said 30 buses were loaded from an adjacent port in Zhejiang because of the severe lockdown in Shanghai city and its port due to the resurgence of corona cases.
Under normal circumstances, it takes about 18 days for the ship to reach the port of Karachi and another week for clearance.
The CDA chairman was informed that after reaching Islamabad, it would take about three days for the buses to adapt to the required digital software and electronics of the bus stations.
The Chairman said that all the civil works and operational requirements have to be completed in 2 to 3 weeks so that all the local infrastructure can be ready by the time the buses arrive.
In addition, the top management of CDA observed the connection of Rawalpindi-Islamabad and Airport Metro Bus Services at Faiz Ahmed Faiz Station.
The station is located near the Excise and Taxation Office and the Higher Education Commission (HEC) and has identified two separate platforms for different bus services.
Talking to the media at Faiz Ahmed Faiz Station, the CDA Chairman said, “The test review of Faiz Ahmed Faiz Junction was successfully conducted today and the schedule will be prepared after brief trials on digitization. Will start regular service.
He added that people coming from the Secretariat and the President could board the airport metro line without leaving the station.
At the same time, a temporary Operation Command and Control Center (OCC) has been set up at Metro Bus Depot Peshawar turn and 24 hours surveillance of cameras along with tickets has been started.
A firm ‘Inquire’ has been awarded a contract for installation of smart ticketing and OCC at a cost of Rs.98 crore and the same firm has been awarded a contract for maintenance and operation services for 10 years at a cost of Rs.2.98 billion.
These services include the operation and maintenance of automatic gates on the platform and other facilities including elevators, escalators, generators, etc.
Faisal Movers has secured a contract to operate the bus service at a cost of Rs. 149 per km for 10 years with a minimum guarantee of 60,000 km per annum.
However, during the visit to various stations, there was a significant decline in civil works, with tiles missing or broken in several places, and electrical and paint work in progress.
