Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Friday said that his government, in collaboration with the World Bank, will develop the Karachi Transport Master Plan to address the metropolis’ mobility crisis as he highlighted that Karachi needs at least 15,000 buses to meet daily demand.
The meeting was held between Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah and a high-level delegation from the World Bank’s transport sector. The delegation was led by Ibrahim Khalil Zaki, Practice Manager for Transport for the Middle East, North Africa, and Pakistan. Other members included Lead Transport Economist George Bianco, Transport Specialists Federico Ferreira, Papa Modou, and others.
Sindh’s Minister for Transport Sharjeel Memon, Planning & Development Minister Nasir Shah, Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah, P\&D Chairman Najam Shah, CM’s Secretary Raheem Shaikh, and Secretary Transport Asad Zaman were also present in the meeting.
Welcoming the delegation, CM Murad Ali Shah said that the World Bank is an important partner of the Sindh Government, and he briefed them on Karachi’s transport challenges and requirements.
Murad Ali Shah said the BRT Yellow Line project has been initiated with the support of the World Bank, and the completion of the Yellow Line and other BRT projects will help modernize the city’s transport system.
The Chief Minister said that Karachi needs 15,000 buses, and the Sindh Government has taken an environmentally friendly step by introducing electric buses. He added that the provincial government is making efforts to launch the Karachi Circular Railway as soon as possible.
A decision was made during the meeting to develop a comprehensive master plan for Karachi’s transport system.
Murad Ali Shah said that World Bank experts will collaborate with the Sindh Government to prepare this master plan, which will also include a light rail project named “Karachi Metro.”
Senior Minister Sharjeel Memon, in a briefing, said that the BRT Yellow Line is part of the Karachi Mobility Project. It is a 21-kilometer project that includes:
CM Murad Ali Shah said that the Yellow Line BRT is being constructed from Khalid Bin Waleed Intersection to Dawood Chowrangi.
Sharjeel Inam Memon said that a fleet of 268 buses will operate on the Yellow Line, transporting around 300,000 passengers daily. He added that work on the Jam Sadiq Bridge section of the BRT route is progressing rapidly.
