KARACHI: The federal government has decided in principle to further extend the Green Line Bus Rapid Transit project in the city from Mereweather Tower to PN Dockyard but officials say it will take another six months to finalise the design and “practicability” of the 1.8-kilometre stretch.

A senior official said the approval to further extend the project came from “the top” after the Pakistan Navy had come up with the proposal for extension of the scheme from Tower to Dockyard to facilitate another 25,000 passengers who arrive at their workplace from different parts of the city on a daily basis.

“We have appointed a consultant to study viability of this extension and come up with a report,” Zubair Channa of the Karachi Infrastructure Development Company Limited (KIDCL), executing the project, told Dawn. “The purpose of such study or consultancy is to know the exact viability of the extension to decide whether the extension should be carried out on elevated section or at grade level.”

The consultants, he said, who had already started their job would take six months to arrive at a conclusion that would then be sent to the authorities concerned through a proper channel for final approval to formally begin work on the extension.

In February 2016, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had inaugurated work on the Rs16.85 billion federal government-funded bus project by performing the ground-breaking. A few months ago the federal government approved Rs6.5bn more for the project to extend it by another 10km, as was initially sought by the Sindh government.

The estimated cost of the project has now reached over Rs23bn after the federal government approved additional financial support of Rs6.5bn for previous extensions.

The current extension, the officials say, would further increase the project cost but it would benefit a large number of commuters to Dockyard.

“A large number of people who are associated with different industrial units and business organisations need to visit Dockyard every day,” said another official, explaining reasons behind the proposal of new extension. “A majority of these people either use private transport service or motorbikes for that purpose. If a good bus service is available to them, they would definitely not use their personal transport which would cut the number of vehicles on roads as well.”

The Green Line project approved by the Executive Committee of National Economic Council (Ecnec) is being executed by the KIDCL. Starting from KESC Powerhouse Chowrangi in Surjani Town, the bus service — before proposal of the fresh extension — was to terminate at Merewether Tower after passing through Nagan Chowrangi, North Nazimabad, Nazimabad and Gurumandir, with more than 20 stations on its route to cater to 300,000 passengers on a daily basis.

With over 20km dedicated tracks, including 11km elevated section, the bus service project is expected to be completed by year end.

The project is being constructed on a bus-way in the median of the road along the corridor with stations in the centre of the median at the ground and elevated sections, which will provide 25-km-per hour high capacity service to 29,400 passengers every hour.

Published in Dawn, April 20th, 2017