PM Imran inaugurates long-awaited Peshawar BRT project.

Prime Minister Imran Khan inaugurated the long-awaited Peshawar Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project today (Thursday). Addressing the inaugural ceremony, the premier said that this was “the best metro bus project in the country”.

This will have an impact in Peshawar cause the city has one main artery that stretches from GT Road to Hayatabad, which chokes when under pressure, resulting in people sitting in traffic for hours which causes pollution and petrol wastage, he said.

He maintained that the main artery was 27 kilometres long while the feeder routes were 60km. “This means that all of the city will be connected,” he said, adding that it was a modern transport system covering Peshawar in its entirety.

The premier also admitted to having “reservations” about the project. “I want to say I had reservations about the project.

“Today, I want to pay tribute to Pervez Khattak because he always said that you will realise the importance of this project once it is completed. So all I want to say is that Pervez Khattak was right and we turned out to be wrong.”

The premier also said that the ticket prices for the Peshawar BRT were “just right”. “Our programmes should give priority to improving the lives of the common man. Everyone can afford the ticket which ranges from Rs10 to Rs50.”

There are also tickets for students to make travelling easier for them and hospitals have been connected so people will no longer face difficulties in this regard, he said.

He added that the project will eventually increase the per capita income in Peshawar and bring prosperity. “When you have a good transport system, it brings change.”

The project, built at a cost of Rs70 billion, is a 27.5 kilometre-long corridor track with 31 stations and seven feeder routes stretching 62km with 146 stops to facilitate thousands of passengers every day, according to Radio Pakistan.

Shortly after the inauguration, the premier, who was accompanied by Defence Minister Pervez Khattak, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan and other government officials, was given a briefing on the functioning of the project.