Development work starts on zero emission Red Line of KBRT.

KARACHI -- Development work started on Red Line of Karachi Bus Rapid Transit Project (KBRT) that would provide safe and swift commuting facilities to over 1.5 million residents of Karachi with environment friendly components like zero emission, conservation of rain water and plantation of trees along the entire corridor.

Project Director BRT Red Line, Sajjad Sirhandi, informed reporter on Friday that contracts of the projects has been awarded and contractors and clients were mobilised to carry out civil works on the project. Sindh Mass Transit Authority (SMTA) undertaking the project in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

The first phase of project relocation of utilities was continue and a committee chaired by commissioner Karachi and having representation of civic services providers was steering the matters relating to shifting of utility installations so that people residing in the area could face minimum difficulty, he said.

The Red Line BRT project is part of a greater mobility plan the Karachi Bus Rapid Transit Project (KBRT) a transport system being designed to respond to the increasing need for reliable and safe public transport in the metropolis.

In the BRT's Red line corridor about 250 low emission buses would pick and drop commuters at 24 stations while plying on a 22 kilometre long trunk corridor stretched from surroundings of Jinnah International Airport- Malir Halt, Model Colony, Gulistan Jouhar- to Numaish in downtown of the metropolis.

The Red line would prove a viable commuting option for thousands of students as the route run along the entire University road and New M.A. Jinnah road where Karachi University, NED Engineering University, Sir Syed University, Wafaqi Urdu University, Islamia College, Dawood Engineering University and a number of education institutes from primary to university level are situated.

Sajad Sirhandi informed that universities were being engaged in environment related components of the project i.e. plantation and relocation of trees and harvesting of rain water to recharge underground water aquifer.

The project also included 21 new structures, 3.9 m elevated and 1.9 km underground structures along with storm water drain...