ISLAMABAD- Prime Minister of Pakistan Muhammad Nawaz Sharif will perform ground breaking ceremony of Rawalpindi/Islamabad Metro Bus Service Project on Sunday, March 23, 2014.

Chief Minister Punjab Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif, Federal Ministers, local MNAs, MPAs and government high officials will also attend the ground breaking ceremony. Rawalpindi/Islamabad Metro Bus Project is being implemented as per vision of Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif with the objective of providing an international standard mass transit system to the twin cities of Federal Capital.

Total cost of Metro Bus Project is about rupees 44.21 billion which also include a signal free interchange at Peshawer More Islamabad at a cost of Rs. 4.7 billion and this mega project would be completed in record period of 9 to 10 months. Federal and Provincial governments would contribute fifty percent each of the total cost. The track of the Metro Bus Service would take start from Flashman's Hotel Chowk on Murree Road and it will end at Pak Secretariat after covering total distance of 23.2 k.m. via Murree Road, Faizabad Rawalpindi, IJ P Road, 9th Avenue and Jinnah Avenue (Blue Area) of Islamabad.

The portion of Metro Bus Service in Rawalpindi from Flashman's Hotel to Faizabad having distance of 8.6 k.m. would be on elevated track, while from Faizabad to Pak Secretariat via IJ P Road and 9thAvenue up to the destination having distance of 14.6 k.m., the project will  be on ground road. Total 24 modern stations for passengers would be built on the whole track out of which 10 will be on Murree Road and the remaining 14 will be in Islamabad area. Initially, 60 buses would be plied on Metro Bus track from Rawalpindi to Islamabad and more than 150, 000 passengers would be benefitted with this project. Total about 29 kanals land would be  acquired for the project out of which about 20 kanals will be acquired on Murree Road, Rawalpindi. There would be no environmental effects of the Project as no green belt area would be effected during the construction of the project and this project would also have no effect on over all master plan of the capital city.