Launched in 2016, the project has experienced repeated delays due to administrative obstacles.
MA Jinnah Road lies open in front of the historic old Radio Pakistan building, its dust and trenches marking the slow, beating pulse of a city rebuilding itself. Photo: Express
KARACHI:
Work on Phase II of the Karachi Green Line Bus Project is expected to begin this week, after being stalled for six years, officials confirmed on Sunday.
Sindh Bar federal government spokesperson Raja Ansari told The Express PK Press Club that the project will be completed within a year – by December 2026 – extending modern bus service from Surjani town to Jamia cloth market. Once operational, commuters will be able to travel this section in minutes, avoiding hours-long traffic jams on major arteries.
Ansari, Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab, MQM-P chief Aminul Haque and top officials of the Pakistan Infrastructure Development Company Ltd (PIDCL) are expected to formally announce the resumption of work at a joint press conference on Monday.
According to Ansari, the construction had been halted due to reservations expressed by the Karachi Mayor over the issuance of the No Objection Certificate (NOC) for Phase II. “I, along with PIDCL officials, met the mayor and resolved the issue amicably. The project is now back on track,” he said.
Phase II spans a 1.8 kilometer dedicated corridor from Numaish Chowrangi to Municipal Park near Jamia Cloth Market. The expansion includes the construction of three additional bus stations and is estimated to cost Rs 5 billion. The works will be executed by PIDCL, a subsidiary of the federal government.
Currently, 80 buses are operating under Phase I of the Green Line project, serving approximately 80,000 passengers per day. Once Phase II is completed, 70 more buses will be added, increasing the system’s daily ridership to over 110,000 commuters traveling between Surjani town and Jamia Cloth.
Ansari noted that although the Green Line project was initially launched in 2016, Phase II has faced repeated delays due to administrative hurdles. He lauded the coordinated efforts of the federal and Sindh governments, as well as Mayor Wahab, for removing bottlenecks and paving the way for resumption of construction.
An official announcement of the restart of the project will be made during Monday’s press conference, he added.
