AMMAN (JT) - The government will continue with the Amman-Zarqa Light Railway Project, Public Transport and Regulatory Commission (PTRC) Director General Jamil Mujahed said on Tuesday.
In an interview with the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Mujahed said a special committee has been formed to float tenders for the project's infrastructure and operations.
The project, which entails running a 28-carriage train on an electric rail at 90km/hour, faced several obstacles due to the global economic crisis and a lack of financing, he noted.
In April, the government terminated an agreement with a Kuwaiti-Spanish consortium tasked with implementing the project due to failure to meet the financial disclosure.
In March 2008, the government terminated an agreement with a Pakistani-Chinese-Jordanian consortium which had originally won the bid to carry out the project, citing "legal reasons".
The proposed train is expected to ferry some 100,000 passengers daily between the two populous cities.
Meanwhile, Mujahed said the government is planning to use the national railway network to connect Jordan with neighbouring countries for the transfer of cargo and passengers, according to Petra.
The official added that the PTRC is working in coordination with an international consultant to draw up a comprehensive plan to identify loopholes in the public transportation network across the Kingdom.
The PTRC is also planning to conduct a study to address the sector's problems while ensuring the integration of different public transport vehicles to provide quality services for commuters.
The study, he said, will identify routes that need to be supplied with vehicles and new routes to be established with the aim of rehabilitating the country's public transportation network.
In the interview, the PTRC official reviewed the commission's plan to regulate public transportation during Ramadan.
Mujahed said the plan seeks to address any shortage in the number of vehicles and to avoid traffic congestion on major routes and at bus terminals.
Under the plan, the commission will intensify monitoring of public transportation vehicles to ensure that they adhere to traffic regulations and provide quality services, he added.
© Jordan Times 2009
