Syed Murad Ali Shah, presiding over a meeting on the Yellow and Red Line BRTs, resolved to build an alternate bridge alongside the Jam Sadiq bridge and buy 32 acres of land in Cattle Colony for the installation of a biogas plant.
Transport Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon, Chief Secretary Sohail Rajput, Finance Secretary Sajid Jamal Abro, Personal Secretary to the CM Fayaz Jatoi, Transport Secretary Haleem Shaikh, Local Government Secretary Najam Shah, and others were present at the meeting.
During the meeting, the transport minister stated that the project’s main goal was to increase mobility, accessibility, and safety along the BRT Yellow Line route alignment.
He stated that the project will be launched with Rs 61 billion in World Bank assistance and that it would be a 21-kilometer main corridor between Dawood Chowrangi and Numaish Chowrangi, with two depots, one at Dawood Chowrangi and the other at Christian Colony.
The BRT would include 28 stations, including six underpass stations, nine underpasses, two U-turns, and two bridges, according to Mr. Sharjeel. He stated that the Yellow Line would include 268 diesel hybrid buses with a daily passenger capacity of 300,000 people.
Moreover, the Yellow Line would contain 80-100km of off-corridor road amenities, which would need to be developed.
The chief minister asked the planning and development and transportation departments to finalize the alignment of the Jam Sadiq Bridge alternative as a Yellow Line right of way so that construction on the planned bridge could begin.
He stated that he had told the World Bank team that the remaining bridge and overall project formalities will be completed as soon as possible in order to launch the project.
In addition, Sharjeel Memon informed the CM that a consultant contract had been awarded for the preparation of a detailed design. He stated that the consultants’ technical reports had been submitted and were being examined.
When informed that Yellow Line required 10 acres of land for the depot, the chief minister asked the chief secretary to arrange for the site in the Gulshan-i-Iqbal region.