(MENAFN- Jordan Times) Amman's largest public transportation project is at stake after a diplomat hinted last week that the French international financer was having second thoughts and is likely to withdraw a soft loan offer to fund the already shelved scheme.
A Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) official said nothing can be done in response to the development before an ad hoc committee wraps up a reassessment process.
"If there was no project, then there will be no loan," French Commercial Attaché in Amman Dominic Klein said during a press gathering at the French ambassador's residence in Amman on Wednesday.
Klein indicated that the French International Development Agency, which approved a $166 million long-term, low-interest line of credit to finance the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project in Amman, would not wait for too long before it starts to reconsider other options, including termination of its offer.
The troubled project faced major challenges, which led to suspension of work in its second phase by a previous government, although public transportation experts have stressed that it is the best option for a city like Amman to resolve its growing public transportation dilemma.
The project was halted last summer amid concerns over its feasibility and funding, and the Cabinet then officially suspended it in September, halting all tenders floated for its future phases.
The multimillion-dinar project, which GAM embarked on in 2009, entails operating premium, high-capacity buses that can carry more than 120 passengers and will run on a three-minute frequency during peak hours on segregated lanes along Amman's busiest corridors.
A committee was formed by the government last year to look into best way to move forward with the BRT project, but no progress has been made so far, according to a source at GAM, who spoke under condition of anonymity.
GAM is still waiting for the outcomes of the committee and cannot do anything before that, the source said.
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