ĐÀ NẴNG — The central city plans to open a 31.8km Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) route connecting the Đà Nẵng International Airport and favourite destinations with Hội An City in neighbouring Quảng Nam Province.

Head of the city’s managing board of Priority Infrastructure Projects, Lương Thạch Vỹ, has confirmed to Việt Nam News that the bus route is included in the World Bank-funded sustainable development project.

Vỹ said on Monday the route will be constructed later this year before beginning operation in 2018 with 10 BRT standard buses.

The route will link the city’s downtown area, shopping centres, tourism destinations and Hội An City, and ease traffic in the city from 2016-20.

The central city asked transport departments of Quảng Nam and Đà Nẵng to set up bus stops and reserve land for terminal development both in Hội An and Đà Nẵng cities.

It will be the first BRT route in the central region, creating a smooth commuter service for local people and tourists as well as connecting favourite destinations in Đà Nẵng and the UNESCO-recognised world heritage Hội An City.

Currently, Đà Nẵng operates five bus routes from Đà Nẵng to Quảng Nam Province’s cities and districts including Hội An, Duy Xuyên, Quế Sơn, Đại Lộc and Tam Kỳ.

Đà Nẵng is Việt Nam’s fourth largest city and is highly regarded by other cities for its planning, governance and infrastructure.

In 2013, the World Bank agreed an US$272.1 million sustainable development project, of which $202.4 million will be funnelled into helping improve the city’s BRT network, build new roads and revamp the drainage system.

As scheduled, the city also plans to develop five BRT routes and 14 regular bus routes by 2020.

With a population of 900,000, Đà Nẵng has outgrown its current public transit system, which only has 48 buses travelling along five routes.

Local people make 2.1 million journeys each day, of which 80 per cent are via motorbike, according to the city’s transport department.

The bus routes will operate 16 hours a day, from 5am to 9pm. — VNS