ISLAMABAD - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved $335 million loan to assist the federal and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government for developing a sustainable urban transport system in Peshawar through Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor.
Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and the European Investment Bank are also expected to provide support to the project through $75 million each in co-financing. The ADB will administer the loan from AFD.
“A modern and safe urban transport system is essential for development of cities like Peshawar and for improving the quality of life of its residents,” said ADB Country Director Xiaohong Yang. “The BRT corridor will not only provide safer, efficient and comfortable transportation facility to the people in Peshawar, it will also improve the air quality, reduce carbon emissions, foster gender equity and make the city more liveable,” he added.
The scope of the project includes construction of a 26 kilometre BRT corridor comprises 31 stations, 2 depots, park-and-ride facilities, bicycle lanes, sidewalks, streetlights, as well as improved drainage to climate-proof the corridor.
“The Peshawar BRT project uses investment in mass-transit infrastructure as a tool for urban renewal, using transit-oriented urban development to organise urban growth,” said Yong Ye, Director of Urban Development and Water at ADB. “ADB’s financing will help renew and renovate the entire corridor width from façade to façade, including the BRT in the median,” he added.
The project includes capacity building of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mobility Authority and the Trans Peshawar Company. The company will be responsible for BRT operations. Current public transport has low usage among women passengers. The project will establish universal access and safety features for women and children, as well as disabled, including proper lighting and monitoring, segregated areas, and staff trained to deal with harassment incidents. Of the 4,000 jobs expected to be generated by the project, 10 percent are expected to be for women.
The Peshawar BRT is considered a “third-generation” BRT system, an innovation which allows BRT vehicles to travel along the BRT corridor in the busiest parts of the city and to travel off-corridor in less congested areas. This approach expands the system’s reach and capacity, lessens passenger transfers, and increases ridership and financial sustainability. The initial BRT fleet will be procured under the project. The system is expected to benefit 500,000 people in the city.
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