HCM City plans to build a green bus rapid transit (BRT) route along Dong Tay Avenue, which will use green energy.
The Green BRT route will run along Dong Tay Avenue
The 21-kilometre route will range from the Mien Dong Bus Station in Binh Chanh District through to the central railway station in District No. 2’s Thu Thiem Ward.
Lighting systems at bus-stops will be fuelled by solar and wind energy.
Deputy Manager of the Management Board of Urban Traffic Investment and Construction, Vuong Hoang Thanh said, “The board is speeding up preparations in order to start the construction of the route as soon as possible. The Green BRT project will receive a loan of USD150 million from the World Bank and is expected to enter operation in 2013."
BRT is considered an optimal means of public transport as it facilitates 80-seat buses running on reserved or prioritised lanes to ensure an exact timetable.
MA Le Trung Tinh, Director of the Division of Road Transport Management under the municipal Department of Transportation, said that the BRT was the cheapest and the most effective solution to traffic congestion in HCM City. It not only can serve much greater passenger numbers but also costs less than other transportation infrastructure.
Investment for a BRT route is estimated at from USD1 million - USD2 million per kilometre while it costs up to USD20 million for the construction of one kilometre of rails for tram cars and USD100 million per kilometre of metro, he added.
