Amman-Zarqa rapid bus service expected to start in 2018

AMMAN — A tender to build and operate the Amman-Zarqa Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project will be floated in three months and actual work will begin by 2016, Transport Minister Lina Shbeeb told The Jordan Times over the phone. 

The project will be implemented by a number of contractors and is expected to be complete by 2018, according to the minister. 

The total cost of the plan is estimated at around JD110 million, Shbeeb said, adding it will provide work opportunities for IT experts, drivers and maintenance workers.

The project will contribute to reducing traffic jams between the two cities, decrease the number of vehicles on the Amman-Zarqa highway and therefore minimise gas emissions, The Jordan News Agency, Petra quoted Zarqa Mayor Imad Momani as saying on Thursday.

The Amman-Zarqa BRT will have four phases for road construction, a tender to build stations, and another for the creation of a control room with an integrated transport system for the bus, Shbeeb said, adding that each trip will last for 23 minutes. 

The project's stations will include two departure terminals, one in Amman and one in Zarqa, and stops along the route including one at the Military College Bridge in Zarqa, near the Pepsi Bridge on the Amman-Zarqa highway, and one at the Ruseifa Bridge, the minister said.

In previous remarks to The Jordan Times, Shbeeb said around 4,200 passengers are expected to benefit from the Amman-Zarqa BRT during peak hours, though it may take time for Jordanians to shift from using their own vehicles to the bus service..