Karachi's Edhi Orange Line linked with Green Line

The Edhi Orange Line will now be integrated with the Green Line BRT at the Orange Line bus depot, Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Memon announced on Tuesday.

Addressing the integration ceremony, Memon said the merger has expanded the Orange Line from four stops to 10, allowing passengers to travel from Orangi to Nagan Chowrangi. The integration will enable Orange Line buses to operate along the Green Line BRT track, providing easier access for residents of Orangi Town.

Initiated in 2016 under the supervision of the Sindh Mass Transit Authority (SMTA), the Orange Line Bus Rapid Transit Project was a four-kilometer-long bus route from Orangi Town Office to the Matriculation Board Office Chowrangi. Although the project was expected to reach completion by 2017, the scheme was shelved for the next six years, until 2022, when it was finally completed.

During this time, the cost of the project was revised twice, with its final budget touching Rs5.5b, after including the purchase, maintenance and operational charges of 20 buses alongside the extension of the project to Nagan Chowrangi. As a result of the SMTA's inability to arrange qualified staff for operating a bus rapid transit system, the entire logistics of the Orange Line were handed over to the federal government's Sindh Infrastructure Development Company Limited (SIDCL) for three years.

The extension track of the Green Line BRT spans 1.8km from Numaish Chowrangi to Jama Cloth Market. Once completed, citizens will be able to travel from Surjani Town to Jama Cloth. Leaders of the PML-N, PPP and MQM-Pakistan have pledged to work together for Karachi's development. Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab said Pakistan Infrastructure Development Co Ltd (PIDCL) has promised to complete and open the Green Line extension for the public by October 31, 2026.

Read: Orange Line fails to live up to expectations

The senior minister stated that since the Green Line BRT came under Sindh government management, daily ridership has increased from 55,000 to 75,000, with a target of reaching 100,000 passengers per day.

He also highlighted that, for the first time in the region's history, a separate BRT service for women has been introduced, and new electric buses have arrived in Karachi.

Memon further announced that bus routes in Hyderabad will be expanded, and People's Bus services will be launched in Khairpur, Shikarpur, and Tando Allahyar districts. Work has also begun on the right-of-way for the Red Line BRT in Karachi.

He announced that starting on Wednesday, with the new year, a double-decker bus service will begin operating for Karachi residents. The double-decker buses will run on a trial basis from Malir to Shahrah-e-Faisal and are expected to reduce traffic congestion and overcrowding. Additional double-decker buses will be introduced for the city.

Read more: Green Line BRT extension resumes

Memon requested the premier to fulfill his earlier announcement of providing 150 buses and emphasised that no one will be allowed to occupy government land. He added that the Chief Minister of Sindh and the Pakistan Peoples Party's leadership have directed officials to enhance performance.

He also commented on a video circulating on social media showing a person being beaten, urging society not to adopt an intolerant attitude. He said that when arguments are weak, people resort to violence, and personal disputes are sometimes misrepresented as tribal conflicts.