KARACHI: A Chinese company has secured an order to provide 100 first-ever energy buses for Karachi’s Green Line and Orange Line transport networks.
According to sources the buses will run on the Green-color and Orange-color BRT routes after their arrival, providing greener, more intelligent, and more comfortable transportation services for the citizens of the metropolis.
“It is currently being tested by the Chinese authorities for any mechanical and safety issues,” sources added. Once the phase of the inspection is completed, a total of 80 buses will be shipped to Karachi and added to Green Line’s fleet, sources informed.
On April 26, Federal Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar had announced that the prototype bus planned for Karachi’s Green Line bus rapid transit (BRT) has been built in China.
The federal minister said, “Once the inspection of the prototype bus is complete and approved, 80 buses will be transported to Pakistan.” He said buses will have been in Karachi by the end of July or latest by August start.
کراچی گرین لائن ٹرانسپورٹ منصوبے کے لئے پروٹو ٹائپ بس چائنہ میں تیار کر لی گئی. انسپیکشن منظوری کے بعد 80 بسوں کی تعمیر شروع ہو جائے گی اور انشاءاللہ جولائی کے آخر یا اگست کے شروع میں یہ بسیں کراچی پہنچ جائیں گی pic.twitter.com/1KNUpFnzTW
— Asad Umar (@Asad_Umar) April 26, 2021
Earlier this month, Asad Umar chaired a meeting on the Karachi Green Line BRT, Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) projects to review the pace of work. The meeting briefed the minister that the feasibility study of the Karachi Circular Railway would be completed by the end of August 2021.
He directed the Railways Ministry and PPP Authority to carry out a monthly progress review of the work assigned to the consultants to ensure that the tasks are completed on time.
SIDCL management also briefed the meeting on the progress of the Greenline BRT project. The minister stressed the need for abiding by the timelines agreed for the project.
The mass transit project is expected to become operational this year. A federal government project, Green Line BRT is the largest of all the other proposed metro bus routes in Karachi.
It is expected that after completion, it will facilitate over 300,000 passengers on a daily basis. Construction on the project started in January 2016 by the Karachi Infrastructural development Company (KIDC) and, nearly three years later, it is still underway.
Starting from Merewether Tower in the central part of the city, all the way up to Surjani Town in northern Karachi, the total length of Green Line BRT is 26 km.
