Sindh government officials met with World Bank officials to discuss an alternate Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Yellow Line bus service plan. The agenda for the meeting was to find a way to reduce project development costs and delivery time.
According to the sources, Sharjeel Memon, Sindh’s Minister of Information and Transportation, met with Lincoln Flor, Senior Transport Specialist for the World Bank, to discuss the original concept. The parties agreed to thoroughly study the PC-I, PC-II, and alternative Yellow Line BRT concepts.
As per a meeting statement, both parties agreed to hold additional meetings and finalize the matter within a week. The relevant officials have shared two alternative proposals with the World Bank to further optimize the project and make it more economically sustainable.
While underlining the governmentÂ’s efforts, the minister stated:
“The Sindh government is making significant efforts to improve the city’s public transportation system. The People’s Bus Service has recently started on the city’s key thoroughfares. Its fleet of 250 hybrid diesel buses is a successful model.”
The World Bank learned that the government wants to reduce infrastructure costs while increasing fleet size, as well as reduce annual subsidy costs.
The dedicated route, according to the proposed Yellow Line BRT plan, will include:
• Jam Sadiq Bridge
• Dawood Chowrangi in the Korangi Industrial Area
• Main Korangi Road
• FTC Interchange Shahrah-e-Faisal
• Kashmir Road Interchange
• Numaish Chowrangi
• Shahrah-e-Quaideen
The service will connect with the BRT Red Line at the final stop. The official statement continues:
“World Bank’s senior official informed the meeting that Karachi is their priority. The bank is committed to providing all possible support to the Sindh government in developing Karachi’s public transport infrastructure.”
It should be noted that the Sindh government has implemented the Yellow, Red, Green, and People’s Bus Services in Karachi to create an efficient transportation system. The Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) project, which is part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPE), is also planned for the city.