CDA to Launch an Islamabad Public Transport Wing

Capital Development Authority (CDA) is planning to create the Islamabad Public Transport Wing to operate the Metro bus services.

The initial plan was to establish the Islamabad Mass Transit Authority. However, due to a clash between the National Highway Authority (NHA) and CDA in operating the Metro bus service in Islamabad, that plan couldn’t come to fruition.

The federal government gave the CDA temporary control of the Orange Line Metro Bus Service from Peshawar Morr to Islamabad International Airport (IIA) in a dedicated corridor.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif ordered the CDA to operate two other metro lines — the green and blue lines, from Bhara Kahu to PIMS Hospital and Koral Chowk to PIMS respectively.

CDA will also soon get new buses to connect 13 feeder routes from various city locations to Metro bus routes.

Currently, the authority is handling all metro operations under the supervision of a director, a project director, and a few joint workers. Due to being understaffed, the department struggled to manage the service.

To address the issue, CDA’s Engineering Division has proposed establishing a separate wing headed by a deputy director general for the smooth operation of Metro bus services.

The proposed wing will have two directors:

• One who looks after operational development
• Other who looks after infrastructural development

Operations will have field teams while infrastructure will comprise workers from the civil and electrical divisions. Each subdivision of this wing will work in coordination to maintain and run the bus services.