The Metro Bus Service from Peshawar Mor in Islamabad city to Islamabad International Airport was inaugurated by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday.
“The Orange route from Peshawar Mor to Islamabad Airport is now functioning.” Congratulations to each and every one of you. “Will provide free travel during Ramadan,” the Prime Minister announced at a ceremony.
PM Sharif also expressed gratitude to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoan and Chinese President Xi Jinping for their assistance with the metro project.
Sharif went on to say that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz had given the project to Islamabad in 2017 and that it was expected to be finished in 2018.
“However, as with other projects, this initiative was postponed once the government changed,” the prime minister remarked.
PM Sharif stated that the project was delayed due to a lack of desire, adding that there was no other reason because funding were available.
He went on to say that the Punjab Metro Authority had loaned him 15 buses to perform this service.
He also asked China for assistance in reviving the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) project, which he described as a “gift to the people of Karachi.”
PM Shehbaz also thanked China for helping to “strengthen Pakistan’s economy.”
Last week, the Prime Minister paid a visit to the metro bus project and was briefed by officials from the National Highway Authority (NHA) and the Capital Development Authority on the latest progress.
He had remarked at the time that the project’s delay was due to “serious negligence,” noting that the project had so far cost Rs16 billion rupees.
PM demands investigation into metro bus project delays from Peshawar Mor to Islamabad Airport.
He also asked the officials in charge to ensure that the buses had luggage racks to accommodate passengers travelling to the airport.
In January 2017, the NHA began construction of the 25.6-kilometer route connecting Peshawar Mor and the IIA.
The project was expected to be completed in August 2018, but it was postponed due to the poor supply of information.
