The government of Sindh has decided to start and run the Red Line Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project from its own resources, after ruling out the Asian Development Bank (ADB) that had been working on it for around one and a half year.
Secretary Sindh Transport and Mass Transit Department Tauha Ahmed Farooqui on Friday said that after detailed discussion with ADB over Red Line it was concluded that the Sindh government would do it itself; however, the ADB was requested to help for control of integration of the components.
He said Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) project was still under consideration and the government was trying to make it happen. In 2010, Japan International Cooperation Agency demanded 45 pre-conditions for the project. After fulfilling those demands, JICA was supposed to come up with a letter of comfort, but it has not yet written it. Consequently, when a Chinese company was contacted in this regard, JICA got irritated so we have demanded a timeline from them, the transport secretary said.
“The situation of other three main BRT lines is as follows: a Chinese company has been contacted for 26-km long Yellow Line, which would specially facilitate Korangi Industrial Area; the federal government would provide complete funds for Green Line, which is being processed fast; the Sindh government would also fund Orange Line and Blue Line that would be built with the help of Bahria Town,” he said in a meeting with Institute for Transportation & Development Policy (ITDP), ADB and other stakeholders at a local hotel.
Farooqui said the proposal of Bahria Town was under process with public private partnership department.
Ex-mayor Bogota, Colombia, Enrique Penalosa said BRT was the best solution for Karachi, in fact it was the only solution for it. It had to be done now or you would do it 10 years from now. The traffic in Karachi has already shaped horrible.
“I don’t know who that person is, but somebody has to politically take the decision to solve the issue of traffic. Highways or subways would not solve traffic jams. Cars should be restricted and the number of good quality buses should be increased in the congested parts of the city,” he suggested.
He said when the cars would get jammed in traffic and BRT buses in the next corridor lane would zoom by, then people would automatically wish to travel by buses.
Country Director, Indonesia, ITDP Yoga Adiwinarto said the key issues with Karachi BRT development included no integrity between the proposed corridors and existing public transport system and many suggested elevated corridors would create inflexibility for future development.
“Flexibility should be given margin. You do not know what situation the mobility would take in next few years in a congested city like Karachi,” he said.
He said parking should not be allowed on major roads, and street vendors should be relocated from the public places.
ADB Project Officer Karachi BRT Project David Margonszten said it was never too late for a development. “Conceive BRT as a network. All the lanes would make a complete set to fulfil the requirement. Car owners would not be required to convince to travel by bus when they would see them moving three times faster,” he said.
He said BRT would shrink the number of bus operating authorities, which could eventually lead to violent protests; therefore, the present operators should be taken on board from the start. The success of first corridor of BRT would determine the fate of BRT in the city.
“A developed city is not where the poor move in cars, rather it’s where the rich move in public transport,” he said.
He told that a team of ADB had been working on Red Line for around one and a half year.
Commissioner Karachi Shoaib Ahmed Siddiqui, Senior Director Transport & Communication Muhammad Athar, Component Director Component Implementation Unit (CIU) Sindh and Director Planning and Coordination Karachi Mass Transit Cell Fazal Karim Khatri were also present.