Kabul bus rapid transit is a bus rapid transit (BRT) system in Kabul, Afghanistan, currently under construction.
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.[1] Kabul Municipality, the Ministry of Transport, and the Japan Cooperation Agency in Afghanistan (JICA) held a joint international conference in New York City 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.[2] Officials said that construction would start soon and that the system's first phase would be opened in 2018.[3] It was reported in July 2018 that the project had been hampered by delays,[4] and as of January 2019 it is still not yet completed.[5]
The project will cost $15 million to be built, paid for by the municipality.[6] It is also part of the wider Asian Development Bank's 20-year urban investment program in Afghanistan.[7]
The BRT's bus lanes would have a width of 60m (200feet).[8] There will also be specialized pedestrian crosswalks and overpasses at BRT stops.
Construction of the BRT system is split into four phases, all serving the city's main downtown district:[9]
With additional extensions it is expected to be 111 km long by 2020 including serving Dashte Barchi and Darulaman.[10] [3]