Integration allows travel from Orangi Town to Nagan Chowrangi via Green Line BRT
Orange Line buses are parked at the facility’s main terminal in Karachi. PHOTO: Express
The Edhi Orange Line will now be integrated with the Green Line BRT at the Orange Line bus station, Sindh Chief Minister Sharjeel Memon announced on Tuesday.
Addressing the integration ceremony, Memon said the merger has expanded the Orange Line from four stops to 10, allowing passengers to travel from Orangi to Nagan Chowrangi. The integration will allow Orange Line buses to operate along the Green Line BRT track, providing easier access to Orangi Town residents.
Started in 2016 under the supervision of the Sindh Mass Transport Authority (SMTA), the Orange Line Bus Rapid Transit Project was a four-kilometre-long bus route from the Orangi town office to the Matriculation Board office in Chowrangi. Although the project was expected to be completed in 2017, the plan was shelved for the next six years, until 2022, when it was finally completed.
During this time, the project cost was revised twice, with a final budget of Rs 5.5 billion, after including the purchase, maintenance and operational expenses of 20 buses along with the extension of the project to Nagan Chowrangi. As a result of the SMTA’s inability to hire qualified personnel to operate a bus rapid transit system, all Orange Line logistics were handed over to the federal government’s Sindh Infrastructure Development Company Limited (SIDCL) for three years.
The Green Line BRT extension stretches for 1.8 kilometers from Numaish Chowrangi to Jama Cloth Market. Once completed, citizens will be able to travel from Surjani City to Jama Cloth. The leaders of PML-N, PPP and MQM-Pakistan have pledged to work together for the development of Karachi. Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab said Pakistan Infrastructure Development Co Ltd (PIDCL) promised to complete and open the Green Line extension to the public by October 31, 2026.
Read: The Orange Line is not living up to expectations
The chief minister stated that since the Green Line BRT came under the management of the Sindh government, the number of daily passengers has increased from 55,000 to 75,000, with the aim of reaching 100,000 passengers per day.
He also highlighted that for the first time in the history of the region, a separate BRT service for women has been introduced and new electric buses have arrived in Karachi.
Memon further announced that bus routes will be expanded in Hyderabad and People’s Bus services will be launched in Khairpur, Shikarpur and Tando Allahyar districts. Work has also started on the BRT Red Line right-of-way in Karachi.
He announced that a double-decker bus service will start operating for the residents of Karachi from Wednesday with the New Year. The double-decker buses will run on a trial basis from Malir to Shahrah-e-Faisal and are expected to reduce traffic congestion and overcrowding. Additional double-decker buses will be introduced for the city.
Read more: BRT Green Line extension resumes
Memon asked the prime minister to fulfill his earlier announcement of providing 150 buses and stressed that no one will be allowed to occupy government land. He added that the Sindh Chief Minister and Pakistan People’s Party leaders have directed officials to improve performance.
He also commented on a video circulating on social media in which a person is seen being beaten, urging society not to adopt an intolerant attitude. He said when arguments are weak, people resort to violence and personal disputes are sometimes misrepresented as tribal conflicts.
