Karachi Breeze is a 112.9 km bus rapid transit lines being constructed in Karachi, Pakistan. The first line ridership is estimated to serve 350,000 passengers on daily basis, with a total of 109 km of dedicated bus routes. When completed, it will become Pakistan’s largest BRT network and will link with the Karachi Circular Railway The Karachi Breeze system is divided into 5 dedicated lines
Green Line
The Line extends between Merewether Tower in central Karachi and Surjani in northern Karachi, having a total length of 26 km. The majority of the scheme is financed by the Pakistan Government. The line will have 22 bus stations upon completion. Engineering Associates are the Green Line designers and supervision consultants while a Consortium of “Ernest & Young”, “Exponent Engineers” & “Haider Mota & BNR” have been awarded a contract for “Transaction Advisory for Bus Operational Plan”. The Green way will be used by 8 18-metre-long buses. Additionally, a Command and Control Centre is being developed at Garden West. The Green Line will also be powered by biomethane collected from cattle dung.
Orange Line
Also called the Edhi Line in honour of philanthropist Abdul Sattar Edhi, it is the shortest line from the five, stretching over 3.9 km with only four stations in Orangi. The Orange line will extend over 2.3 km, in which 0.7 km will be elevated with 1.5 km being on ground, while, the 1.5 km will be semi dedicated part. The scheme is entirely funded and constructed by the Sindh government.
The Orange line will have the capacity to carry around 50,000 passengers on daily basis, with a station set at every kilometer of its length. The line starts at Shahrah-e-Quaideen, near TMO Office, to Board Office, connecting the Green Line BRT, on a rotary flyover.
Blue Line
The Blue Line will stretch at a total length of 30 km on Jahangir Road, between Merewether Tower in central Karachi and Bahria Town in northeast Karachi. It will become the first transport system in Pakistan being funded privately by the Bahria Town Group.
Yellow Line
The 22-kilometre-long Yellow Line scheme will link Numaish Chowrangi near the Mazar-e-Quaid in central Karachi, to the eastern suburbs of Korangi and Landhi, ending at Dawood Chowrangi. The Karachi breeze Yellow Line was estimated to cost $428 million, in which $382 million will be financed by the World Bank. The Line will consist of 268 buses and 28 stations, with 22 at grade and 6 underground.
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Red Line
The Red Line was approved to connect central Karachi to the eastern suburbs. It will extend between Numaish Chowrangi near the Mazar-e-Quaid in central Karachi and Malir Halt in eastern Karachi through University Road. The 27 km long Karachi breeze line will become a “third generation” BRT system in which local buses will enter and exit the system at designated stations.
The Karachi Breeze Timeline
2014
Nawaz Sharif, while holding a high-level meeting in Karachi on July 10, revealed funds to start construction of the BRT Green Line to alleviate the high traffic congestion in the city.
2016
Construction of the Green and Orange Line started.
2018
The name of the scheme was changed to Karachi Breeze from Karachi Bus and Mass Rapid Transit system.
2019
The comprehensive public transport system for Karachi residents remained a distant dream after provincial authorities held the Karachi breeze Blue Line scheme. The decision to halt the Blue Line was brought by financial constraints and after consultation with officials concerned, it was confirmed that the scheme will be relaunched as soon as the financial health of the province improved.
2020
The construction of the Red Line was to commence in August, but was delayed to 2021 after Covid-19 struck, and was originally planned to be end in 2022 at a cost of $503.2 million. The line was projected to serve over 300,000 passengers per day. The yellow line construction was also delayed and is set to start in 2022, completing in 2025.
2021
The city administration requested the gas, water, power and other utilities to expedite the shifting of their respective pipelines and other infrastructure on the way of Red Line bus rapid transit (BRT) scheme so that its was to begin construction.
The tendering process had completed for the commencement of construction in December.
