Yermegiyayev speaks of Bus Rapid Transit cost

Talgat Yermegiyayev. Photo courtesy of ortcom.kz

The head of Astana EXPO-2017 National Company Talgat Yermegiyayev has commented on the cost of Bus Rapid Transit for Astana, Tengrinews reports. "BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) is a cheaper system (then light rail transport). It will cost a little over 130 billion tenge ($843 million), whereas the cost of the first LRT (light rail transport) line from the airport to Abu Dhabi Plaza alone made 235 billion tenge ($1.5 billion). The BRT system will cover the whole city, and its cost will not exceed 135 billion tenge ($875 million)," he said during the press-conference. "That is why we decided to give up the idea of building a LRT (in Astana) to rationalize the use of funds," he explained. Astana was getting ready to launch a light rail tramline with up to 50 trams before the EXPO-2017. It was also thinking about launching the BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) system together with the LRT. The project will help transport passengers in larges amounts and in a more comfortable environment and improve the road traffic management in general. Last month Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev declared that the Light Rail Transport project proposed by French companies was overly expensive for Astana. The Akimat (municipal authorities) of Astana suggested an alternative option: to create a network of dedicated lanes for buses throughout the city. By Assel Satayeva

The head of Astana EXPO-2017 National Company Talgat Yermegiyayev has commented on the cost of Bus Rapid Transit for Astana, Tengrinews reports. "BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) is a cheaper system (then light rail transport). It will cost a little over 130 billion tenge ($843 million), whereas the cost of the first LRT (light rail transport) line from the airport to Abu Dhabi Plaza alone made 235 billion tenge ($1.5 billion). The BRT system will cover the whole city, and its cost will not exceed 135 billion tenge ($875 million)," he said during the press-conference. "That is why we decided to give up the idea of building a LRT (in Astana) to rationalize the use of funds," he explained. Astana was getting ready to launch a light rail tramline with up to 50 trams before the EXPO-2017. It was also thinking about launching the BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) system together with the LRT. The project will help transport passengers in larges amounts and in a more comfortable environment and improve the road traffic management in general. Last month Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev declared that the Light Rail Transport project proposed by French companies was overly expensive for Astana. The Akimat (municipal authorities) of Astana suggested an alternative option: to create a network of dedicated lanes for buses throughout the city. By Assel Satayeva

transport news Kazakhstan Kazakh Innovation EXPO-2017 cost city Astana