Kabul bus rapid transit is a

bus rapid transit Bus rapid transit (BRT), also called a busway or transitway, is a bus-based public transport system designed to have much more capacity, reliability and other quality features than a conventional bus system. Typically, a BRT system includes ...

(BRT) system in

Kabul Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into 22 municipal districts. Acco ...

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

, currently under construction.

History

A bus rapid transit system in the city of Kabul was envisaged since 2009 to relieve pressure on motor traffic in the fast-urbanizing city. Kabul Municipality, the

Ministry of Transport A ministry of transport or transportation is a ministry responsible for transportation within a country. It usually is administered by the ''minister for transport''. The term is also sometimes applied to the departments or other government age ...

, and the

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

Cooperation Agency in Afghanistan (JICA) held a joint international conference in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

in 2016 to research and discuss a potential system. The BRT system was officially unveiled by Kabul Municipality in June 2017, which has also been referred to as Metrobus. Officials said that construction would start soon and that the system's first phase would be opened in 2018. It was reported in July 2018 that the project had been hampered by delays, and as of January 2019 it is still not yet completed. The project will cost $15 million to be built, paid for by the

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

. It is also part of the wider

Asian Development Bank The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is a regional development bank established on 19 December 1966, which is headquartered in the Ortigas Center located in the city of Mandaluyong, Metro Manila, Philippines. The bank also maintains 31 field office ...

's 20-year urban investment program in Afghanistan.

Infrastructure

The BRT's bus lanes would have a width of . There will also be specialized pedestrian

crosswalk A pedestrian crossing (or crosswalk in American English) is a place designated for pedestrians to cross a road, street or avenue. The term "pedestrian crossing" is also used in the Vienna and Geneva Conventions, both of which pertain to road ...

s and

overpasses An overpass (called an overbridge or flyover in the United Kingdom and some other Commonwealth countries) is a bridge, road, railway or similar structure that crosses over another road or railway. An ''overpass'' and ''underpass'' together for ...

at BRT stops.

Route

Construction of the BRT system is split into four phases, all serving the city's main downtown district: *Phase I:

Deh Afghanan Deh Afghanan (Pashto/Persian: ده افغانان, meaning ''Village of the Afghans'') is a downtown settlement in the center of Kabul, Afghanistan. It forms part of administrative District 2. It was once a small Pashtuns, Pashtun village that spre ...

- Salang Watt Road (Baraki Square) - Sara-e Shamali *Phase II: Baraki Square - Karte Parwan - Silo Road -

Kote Sangi Kote Sangi ( prs, کوته سنگی) is a neighborhood and major intersection in western Kabul, Afghanistan, part of District 5. It is one of the city's most populated urban areas, located south of the Silo Road and west of Deh Bori and Kabul Un ...

- Sevom Aqrab Road (

Deh Mazang Deh Mazang ( prs, ده‌مزنگ), also spelled Demazang or Dih Mazang, is a hillside settlement in west Kabul, Afghanistan, located on the southern side of the Asamayi mountain. It forms part of District 3. Kabul Zoo is located to its south and ...

) - Deh Afghanan *Phase III: Deh Afghanan - Maidan Square - Sara-e Shamali *Phase IV: Deh Afghanan - Jadayi Maiwand - Karte Naw -

Arzan Qimat Ahmad Shah Baba Mina ( ps, احمدشاه بابا مېنه), formerly known as Arzan Qimat (ارزان قیمت), is a neighborhood in far eastern Kabul (District 12), nearby the Pul-e-Charkhi prison. Formerly a village, the area has become a mo ...

With additional extensions it is expected to be 111 km long by 2020 including serving

Dashte Barchi Dashte Barchi ( prs, دشت برچی) is a settlement located in western Kabul, Afghanistan. Previously barren and agricultural, Dashte Barchi became populated in the early 2000s by newcomers from the provinces, mostly ethnic Hazaras from Maidan W ...

and

Darulaman Darulaman ( fa, دارالامان) is a locality in the south-western fringes of Kabul, Afghanistan, forming part of District 6. The suburb was a planned city built in the 1920s under King Amanullah Khan. Amanullah Khan sought to turn Darulaman i ...

References

{{Reflist Bus rapid transit Transport in Kabul

History

Infrastructure

Route

See also

References