KARACHI: The Sindh government on Thursday discussed an alternative plan for BRT Yellow Line with World Bank to minimise the cost of the multi-billion project and ensure its timely completion.

Sindh Minister for Information, Transport and Mass Transit Sharjeel Inam Memon held a meeting with World Bank’s Senior Transport Specialist Lincoln Flor in his office to review the original plan. The two sides agreed to undertake a detailed review of the PC-I and PC-II and alternative proposals for the BRT Yellow Line.

“The two [sides] agreed to hold further meeting and take a final decision in a week,” said a statement issued after the meeting. In order to further optimise the Yellow Line project and make it an economically successful model, two alternative proposals had also been prepared and shared with World Bank, it added.

“The Sindh government is making serious efforts to upgrade the public transport system in the city. Recently, People’s Bus Service has been launched on major common routes of the city with a cost of Rs8 billion,” the statement quoted the minister as saying. “The People’s Bus Service is a successful model with a fleet of 250 hybrid diesel buses. The service is being run in partnership with the National Radio Transmission Company, a federal government organisation.”

The meeting was informed that the government wanted to launch BRT Yellow Line as another successful public transport model and it has proposed a reduction in its infrastructure cost and increase the fleet, besides minimising government costs in terms of annual subsidy.

“World Bank’s senior official informed the meeting that Karachi is their priority. The bank is committed to providing all possible support to Sindh government in developing Karachi’s public transport infrastructure,” it added.

According to the proposed plan of Yellow Line BRT, the dedicated corridor of the bus service will start from Dawood Chowrangi in Korangi Industrial Area via Jam Sadiq Bridge, Main Korangi Road, FTC Interchange Sharea Faisal, Shahrah-i-Quaideen, Kashmir Road Interchange and will integrate with BRT Red Line at Numaish Chowrangi.

Published in Dawn, November 25th, 2022