Karachi Transport to Improve with Yellow Line BRT and New Master Plan

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has announced that his government, in collaboration with the World Bank, will prepare a Karachi Transport Master Plan to tackle the metropolis’s long-standing traffic and mobility challenges. The plan will integrate Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems, metro light rail, and the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) into a unified framework.

The announcement was made during a high-level meeting at CM House with a World Bank delegation led by Ibrahim Khalil Zaki, practice manager for transport in the Middle East, North Africa, and Pakistan. Senior transport experts and Sindh government officials also attended the meeting.

Shah termed the World Bank a key development partner and highlighted Karachi’s urgent need for a modern transport network. He stated that the city requires 15,000 buses daily, stressing that BRT corridors should be complemented by metro light rail and a revived KCR. He also noted Sindh’s introduction of electric buses as part of climate-friendly urban mobility initiatives.

Zaki assured technical and financial support from the World Bank, adding that the plan would address BRT, metro rail, goods and tourist trains, and the KCR. He also stressed the importance of developing a transport industry in Karachi to meet growing local and national demand.

The CM suggested Dhabeji as a hub for transport-related industries and both parties agreed to form a joint working group of Sindh government and World Bank representatives to draft the master plan.

The meeting also reviewed the Yellow Line BRT, a 21-kilometre corridor from Dawood Chowrangi to Khalid Bin Waleed Road. The project includes 21 at-grade stations, four underpasses, four elevated stations, eight flyovers, and three underground stations. Scheduled for completion in December 2025, it is expected to serve 300,000 passengers daily.

Sindh Transport Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon reported that construction work is progressing at several sites, with Depot 1 at 10% and Depot 2 at 17% completion, both set to finish by September 2026.