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Rawalpindi-Islamabad Metrobus

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The Rawalpindi-Islamabad Metrobus is a 83.6 km (51.9 mi) bus rapid transit system operating in the Islamabad–Rawalpindi metropolitan area of Pakistan. It consists of four routes, namely the Red, Orange, Blue, and Green Lines. The Red and Orange Lines have dedicated lanes with proper stations built along them, while the Blue and Green Lines currently run along the Islamabad Expressway and Srinagar Highway respectively, with regular traffic.

Rawalpindi-Islamabad Metrobus
Overview
SystemRawalpindi-Islamabad Metrobus
OperatorPunjab Mass Transit Authority, Capital Mass Transit Authority and Capital Development Authority
Vehicles98
StatusActive
Began service4 June 2015; 9 years ago (2015-06-04)
Routes
Routes4
LocaleIslamabad-Rawalpindi metropolitan area
Stops50

Saddar – Pak Secretariat

Peshawar Morr – Airport
Service
LevelDaily
FrequencyRed Line BRT: 3 Minutes [1]

Orange Line BRT: 5-10 minutes [2]

Green and Blue Lines: 6 minutes [3]

Islamabad Feeder Routes: 10 minutes[4]
Operates6:15 am – 10:00 pm
Ridership100,558 (Red Line) + 20,000 (Orange Line) [5]
Route map
Islamabad Rawalpindi Metro Map
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The Metrobus network's Red Line was the first to be opened, on 4 June 2015, and stretches 22.5 kilometers between Pak Secretariat, in Islamabad, and Saddar in Rawalpindi. The second route, the Orange Line, stretches 25.6 kilometers between the Peshawar Morr Interchange and the Islamabad International Airport, and was inaugurated on 18 April 2022.[6][7][8] On 7 July 2022, the Green Line and Blue Lines were added to this Metrobus network.[9]

The system uses e-ticketing and an Intelligent Transportation System, where the Red Line is managed by the Punjab Mass Transit Authority while the rest are being managed by the Capital Development Authority (CDA).[10]

On 25 November 2023, CDA announced that it would be importing 160 buses from China, to operate on routes defined by CDA and operated by NRTC. One batch was set to arrive on January while the other to arrive in February/March.[11] On 7 January the first batch of 30 buses arrived in Islamabad.[12] On 1 April a batch of 30 buses was dispatched from China to be received from Karachi and reach Islamabad in three weeks.[13] On May 22 a batch had arrived in Karachi.[14] On 4 June 2024 a batch of 30 buses was received in Islamabad.[15]

History

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Public transport in Islamabad and Rawalpindi was never a viable option for commute. Local transport routes existed, but many parts of the city weren't connected to the center of Rawalpindi–Islamabad Metropolitan areas. Therefore, after the completion of the Lahore Metrobus, plans for a similar project in the Rawalpindi–Islamabad Metropolitan area were made.

Phase One: Red Line

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Redline is partially underground.

Construction of the bus rapid transit system began on 28 February 2014 and was completed by June 2015, with 60 buses initially plying on the route. The Rawalpindi Development Authority was tasked with overlooking the project with a cost of approximately Rs. 44.31 billion (US$150 million), which was between the federal government and the Punjab provincial government.[16]

The project was initially divided into five packages, where Package-1 consisted of flyovers, bridges and pedestrian underpasses. The project was started on 23 April 2014 and was completed on 27 March 2015 incurring a total cost of Rs. 33.5 billion (US$120 million) as quoted by the contractor of the project. The construction project was awarded to Habib Construction Services which is one of the largest construction companies of Pakistan and have worked on several other mega projects previously.

In February of 2023, PMBA announced the creation of express route for Red Lin from Monday till Thursday. These are: Saddar - Faizabad and Faiz Ahmad Faiz - Rehmanabad.

Phase Two: Orange, Green and Blue Lines

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Islamabad Green Line Metrobus

The 25.6 km Orange route track, from Peshawar Morr to New Islamabad International Airport, worth Rs16 billion was started by the PML-N government in 2017 and was originally scheduled for completion in 2018.[17] After a delay of five years, it was inaugurated on 18 April 2022 by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.[6][7] Thirty buses were expected to arrive from China for this route, but faced delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic which led to the closure of the Port of Shanghai. Consequently, CDA started the operations on this route by borrowing 15 buses from the Red Line.[18] The Faiz Ahmad Faiz Station of Red Line was turned into an Interchange Station between Red Line and Orange Line. [19] For the first month of Ramadan, orange line was free to ride on. [20]

Seeing the dire situation of public transport in Islamabad, the new PML-N government began work on Blue route and Green routes of Rawalpindi - Islamabad Metro Bus. Initially, Blue route is between PIMS and Koral Chowk and Green route is between PIMS and Bhara Kahu before more stops are added on these corridors in the future. For this purpose, 30 buses were ordered from China, of which 15 are plying on Orange route and the rest are plying on Blue and Green routes.[18]

For the new routes, the Federal Government created the Capital Mass Transit Authority (CMTA) to run the operations of Orange, Green, Blue and all the future metro bus routes. [21]

Phase Three: Feeder Routes

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In late 2022, CDA approached National University of Sciences & Technology (NUST) to carry out the feasibility study to identify new potential routes. As a result of that study, 13 new bus routes were identified by NUST. [22] The routes are meant to connect the existing Rawalpindi - Islamabad Metro Bus Network to all corners of Islamabad. [23]

Upon his arrival in Islamabad, the new CDA Chairman Noorul Amin Mengal announced the starting of work on these new routes. [24] [25]

Out of 13 marked feeder routes, 4 x routes have been operationalized namely FR-4 (Bari Imam to PIMS), FR-7 (PIMS to NUST), FR-3A (PIMS to Pak Sect via Faisal Masjid) and FR-9 (Faizabad to Pirwadhi Mor). Moreover, a shuttle service from BAri Imam to QAU also introduced namely FR-4A in order to facilitate QAU students.

Lines

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Line Operator Opening date Length Dedicated Track Route Number of stations Number of buses Frequency Journey time (end to end) Notes
Red Punjab Masstransit Authority and Capital Development Authority 4 June 2015 22.5 km (14.0 mi) Yes Pak Secretariat – Saddar 24 68 Every 3 to 6 minutes during daytime hours (06:00-20:00) [26]
Orange Capital Development Authority 18 April 2022 25.6 km (15.9 mi) Yes Faiz Ahmed Faiz Station (H-8/2) – Airport 7[6] 15[27] Every 10 minutes [28][7]
Blue 7 July 2022 20 km (12 mi) Shared PIMS – Gulberg 13 10 Every 6 minutes One hour [18]
Green 7 July 2022 15.5 km (9.6 mi) Shared PIMS – Bharakau 8 5 Every 6 minutes [18]

Feeder Routes

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Line Operator Opening date Length Dedicated Track Route Number of stations Number of buses Frequency Journey time (end to end) Notes
FR-4 Capital Development Authority 5th July 2024[29] Shared PIMS Gate – Bari Imam 19 15 Every 10 minutes 45 Minutes [30]
FR-7 5th July 2024 Shared PIMS Gate – NUST Station 17 15 Every 10 minutes 35 Minutes [30]
 
Islamabad Rawalpindi Metro Map
 
Islamabad Blue Line Metrobus

Stations

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Redline Metrobus Station Islamabad

The Functional elements of the Red and Orange Line Stations include ticketing booths, concourse level passenger transfer, escalators, platform screen, public toilets, doors turnstiles for automatic fare collection and all other amenities for passenger convenience. A central ITS control room is also included in the project to control the whole operation of the Metro Bus system.

Meanwhile, stations of Green and Blue Line are ground-level, however, at most places, there are no pedestrian crossings on main highways such as Kashmir Highway. This puts commuters at a grave danger and reduces interest in the service.

 
Islamabad Metro Station interior
 
A station of Islamabad-Rawalpindi Metrobus (Red Line) in Blue Area
 
Islamabad International Airport station of the Orange Line route

Ticketing and fares

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Rawalpindi - Islamabad Metrobus card

The Red and Orange Lines uses e-ticketing and Intelligent Transportation System wand. The ticketing options include a single-ride token and a refillable metro bus card.

On the other hand, the Green and Blue Line don't have any proper standardized ticketing system yet. As of October, 2024, CDA is working on working on creating a streamline ticketing system for the Feeder routes as they have KenKart based ticket solution which supports card payment, online through app & one time paper based tickets. However, launching of same is pending without any valid reason.

Fleet

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The initial fleet consisted of 68 articulated 18-meter-long high-floor buses for the Red Line route. These buses were imported and supplied by VPL Limited from the China-based company Sunwin Bus, which is a Joint-Venture formed between SAIC Motor Corporation Limited (SAIC) and Sweden-based Volvo Bus Company, VPL Limited also happens to be the sole after-sales distributor for both Volvo Buses and Sunwin Buses in Pakistan, among other products.

In 2022, 30 buses were imported from China for the Orange Line route.[31] twenty of these buses are plying on the Orange Line route. Moreover, 20 x low floor buses were also procured for Blue and Green Lines (10 each).

Electric Buses for Feeder Routes

160 HIGER model electric buses have been handed over to NRTC (contractor of CDA) at China for onward dispatch to Islamabad Pakistan. These new 160 buses will ply on 13 x intra city feeder routes in Islamabad.

Controversies and mishaps

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The rainy season of 2015 exposed significant problems in drainage systems of the network. One of the worst affected stations was the PIMS metrobus station, with severe flooding affecting smooth operation severely.[32] Similarly, cracks appeared after a minor earthquake in Rawalpindi, which raised questions over the structural integrity of the infrastructure used in the project.[33]

The long-term financial model to run the project and its utilization is a subject of serious controversy surrounding the project. Reports show that although 150,000 passengers were expected, but due to both CDA and RDA's lack of interest in creating feeder routes, the project was unable to produce over 80,000 passengers in the long run. It became extremely difficult for management to afford fuel costs for 68 buses, and only 35 buses were utilized. This results in jamming and overcrowding during peak travelling hours.[34]

The Orange route became controversial when it got delayed for nearly 5 years. It was meant to be inaugurated in August of 2018, however, for one reason of the other, it couldn't be completed till April of 2022.[35] Even after its completion, people noticed electrical and civil works being done in sections of Orange Line track. Furthermore, when the question of operating it came, there was dispute between CDA, NHA and Punjab MetroBus Authority. It was finally decided that CDA would run it until a Metro Bus Authority for Islamabad is created.

In 2015, a controversy surrounding project's annual loss emerged. According to official numbers, a single bus trip costs 9,100 PKR, while it earns only 2,600 PKR. This incurs a loss of 6,500 PKR each trip. The subsidy of this project was paid by Punjab government initially. After heavy loans accumulated on the Punjab government in paying subsidies, it was decided in 2016 to divide the load between the Punjab government and Capital Development Authority (CDA) on the basis of length in Rawalpindi and Islamabad.[36] However, CDA refused to pay for losses of Metro bus attributing to lack of funds in 2016. Federal government provided funds to CDA to shoulder the burden of Punjab Masstransit Authority in 2016. However, in 2017 the problem surfaced again, raising question marks on long term losses and the financial burden of this under utilized project.[37]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Metro Bus Services". Transport Department Punjab.
  2. ^ "Formal launch of Islamabad Airport Metro faces further delay". Profit.
  3. ^ "PM Shehbaz inaugurates Green, Blue metro bus service". Tribune.
  4. ^ "New electric buses begin trial runs in Islamabad". Pakistan Today.
  5. ^ Hussain, Danish (17 April 2016). "Punjab went 'halfsies' on cost, but not on revenue". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
  6. ^ a b c "Islamabad Starts Trial of Orange Line Metro Bus Service". INCPAK. 16 April 2022. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  7. ^ a b c "PM Shehbaz Sharif confident his 'speedy work' will frighten ex-premier Imran Khan". GEO News. 18 April 2022. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  8. ^ "Metro Bus extension: NHA assures timely completion - The Express Tribune". The Express Tribune. 16 November 2017. Retrieved 6 March 2018.
  9. ^ "PM Shahbaz inaugurates Green Line, Blue Line metro bus services". The News International. 7 July 2022. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  10. ^ "PM directs CDA to start Islamabad metro bus". The Express Tribune. 14 April 2022. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  11. ^ Abbasi, Kashif (25 November 2023). "30 buses from China due in Jan for 13 new routes in Islamabad". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  12. ^ "30 electric buses arrive in Islamabad from China". www.thenews.com.pk. 7 January 2024. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  13. ^ Abbasi, Kashif (1 April 2024). "First batch of 30 electric buses to be dispatched from China". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  14. ^ Zayn (22 May 2024). "First Batch Of 30 Electric Buses Arrives For Islamabad Transport Project » LCCI". LCCI. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  15. ^ Khattak, Arsalan (4 June 2024). "First Batch of Electric Buses From China Arrive in Islamabad". ProPakistani.
  16. ^ "Shahbaz to inaugurate work on Metro Bus Service on Feb 28". Dawn. 28 January 2014. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  17. ^ Abbasi, Kashif (15 April 2022). "PM orders launch of Peshawar Mor metro bus service tomorrow". Dawn. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  18. ^ a b c d "Green, Blue line metro bus services to start operation in next 45 days: CDA". Dawn. 9 June 2022. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  19. ^ Abbasi, Kashif (22 April 2022). "Faiz Ahmed Faiz station to become junction for airport metro bus service in Islamabad". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  20. ^ Reporter, The Newspaper's Staff (10 September 2022). "Free ride on metro buses to end from Monday". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  21. ^ Abbasi, Kashif (12 November 2019). "CDA, interior ministry drafting ordinance to set up mass transit authority in capital". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  22. ^ Abbasi, Kashif (3 September 2022). "13 new bus routes identified in Islamabad". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  23. ^ Abbasi, Kashif (4 November 2022). "Govt decides to launch 13 new metro routes in Islamabad". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  24. ^ "CDA chairman desires to extend Metro Bus service to other parts of city". The Nation. 27 January 2023. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  25. ^ Abbasi, Kashif (3 February 2023). "IJP Road to have tuck shops, public toilets". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  26. ^ "Metro bus project: Capital's civic managers cave in to pressure from Punjab govt". The Express Tribune. 11 March 2014. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  27. ^ "CDA to hand over metro bus service operations to private company". The News International. 20 July 2022. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  28. ^ "وزیراعظم نے5 روز میں اسلام آباد میٹرو بس ائیرپورٹ تک چلانےکا حکم دیدیا". urdu.geo.tv. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  29. ^ "Interior Minister inaugurates first electric bus fleet in Islamabad". www.radio.gov.pk. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  30. ^ a b Abbasi, Kashif (6 July 2024). "Electric buses start operation on two routes in Islamabad today". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  31. ^ Ali, Kalbe (24 April 2022). "30 metro buses for Peshawar Mor-Islamabad airport route to arrive next month". Dawn. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  32. ^ Abbasi, Aamir Yasin | Kashif (8 July 2015). "Rawalpindi-Islamabad metro bus project not waterproof". Dawn. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  33. ^ "Engineers to assess damage to metro track". Dawn. 27 October 2015. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  34. ^ Yasin, Aamir (7 January 2016). "Half of metro bus fleet unutilised in twin cities". Dawn. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  35. ^ Abbasi, Kashif (15 April 2022). "PM orders launch of Peshawar Mor metro bus service tomorrow". Dawn. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  36. ^ "CDA to share 60pc of metro bus subsidy". Dawn. 3 October 2016. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  37. ^ "Islamabad Metro Bus Project running in huge losses of billions". Times of Islamabad. 21 March 2017. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
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