Planning Minister Asad Umar has said that the Green Line Bus project in Karachi finally appears close to its completion as its commercial operation is to begin from December 25.
In a tweet, Umar said that the project will be ready for a trial operation within the next 10 days, following which it will be formally inaugurated by Prime Minister Imran Khan and then its commercial activities could begin.
"I conducted a detailed review of the Karachi Green Line project yesterday (Saturday). With the grace of Allah, this project will be ready for trial operation in the next 10 days," he added.
Earlier, Sindh Governor Imran Ismail said that the Green Line project was being constructed with federal funding. He stated that travel in these buses will be very comfortable. He lamented that it is very unfortunate that the provincial government had not been able to bring a single bus to Karachi in 13 years and people were forced to travel in dilapidated buses.
Imran Ismail appreciated the efforts made by SIDCL in ensuring the completion of the Green Line project within its timelines. He added that the dedicated Corridor will serve some of Karachi's most populated areas, namely Surjani Town to Gurumandir and Numaish Chowrangi.
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On October 4, the test run of the Green Line BRT began on 23km route (Surjani Town to Numaish Chowrangi) after the PTI-led federal government inaugurated its trial operation.
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At least, 40 buses for the Green Line project arrived in the city in October, raising the number of buses to 80. It is supposed to facilitate travel of approximately 300,000 passengers daily.
Karachi's Green Line BRT project with intersections is 24km long which includes 12.7km elevated, 10.9km at grade, and 422 meters underground, and has 25 stations. The phase-II common corridor from Gurumandir up to Municipal Park with a length of 2.5km has two underpasses at M A Jinnah Road.
Government releases full amount for Greenline Bus project
Umar had said that that a comprehensive Command and Control Centre had been established for the projects including Green Line, Orange Line, etc. He said that the Green Line was the first state-of-the-art project, which was being introduced to the city with 20.5 kilometre long corridor. A bus depot had been built for 80 buses whereas 22 bus stations had been completed.