Karachi to get 100 new energy buses from Chinese firm

KARACHI: Chinese bus manufacturers Zhongtong has secured an order to provide 100 units of 18-meter-long buses for Karachi’s Green Line and Orange Line Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) projects.

The buses will be in green and orange colors and will run on BRT routes. The BRT buses are currently being tested by the Chinese authorities for any mechanical and safety issues.

Taking to micro-blogging site Twitter earlier this month, Federal Minister for Planning and Development, Asad Umar, shared that the prototype bus planned for Karachi’s Green Line bus rapid transit (BRT) has been built in China.

He said the Green Line BRT project would become operational by end of August.

کراچی گرین لائن ٹرانسپورٹ منصوبے کے لئے پروٹو ٹائپ بس چائنہ میں تیار کر لی گئی. انسپیکشن منظوری کے بعد 80 بسوں کی تعمیر شروع ہو جائے گی اور انشاءاللہ جولائی کے آخر یا اگست کے شروع میں یہ بسیں کراچی پہنچ جائیں گی pic.twitter.com/1KNUpFnzTW

— Asad Umar (@Asad_Umar) April 26, 2021

It may be noted that Karachi’s Green Line BRT project with intersections is 24 km long which includes 12.7 km elevated, 10.9 km 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 2.5 km has two underpasses at M.A Jinnah Road.

The state-of-art underground bus terminal with parking facility and commercial mezzanine floor was being also being constructed at Numaish.

The construction work on Phase-I was started in 2016.

Karachi to get 100 new energy buses from China