Plan to open Red Line corridor on University Road by March

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Minister Sharjeel Memon inspects the under-construction Red Line corridor near Nipa.—PPI
Minister Sharjeel Memon inspects the under-construction Red Line corridor near Nipa.—PPI

KARACHI: The Sindh government plans to open the main corridor of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Red Line project on University Road by March, a move expected to provide major relief to thousands of daily commuters using one of the city’s busiest arteries.

The 27-km-long dedicated corridor of the Red Line project runs from Malir Halt to Numaish via University Road.

“Our effort is to complete the main corridor on University Road — where there is heavy public movement and where citizens face difficulties — by March,” Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon told the media. “The remaining BRT work will continue, including bridges, underpasses, and U-turns.”

During a visit to the Red Line BRT project site to review the ongoing work on Wednesday, the senior minister directed the officials to ensure timely completion of the project while maintaining construction quality.

Sharjeel says remaining work on dedicated BRT track will continue

He was accompanied by Secretary of Transport Asad Zamin and CEO of Trans Karachi Fuad Ghaffar Soomro, who briefed him on the project’s progress.

He said work on bridges, underpasses and U-turns along other sections of the Red Line would continue even after the main corridor was opened.

Speaking to journalists, Mr Memon said the Sindh government was committed to delivering modern transport and infrastructure projects for Karachi.

He said the Pakistan People’s Party-led government remained focused on Karachi’s development.

He said projects such as Shahrah-i-Bhutto, whose two phases have been completed, and the recently opened Taj Haider Bridge and Korangi Causeway Bridge had improved connectivity in different parts of the city.

He said residents and commuters had appreciated the quality of these projects.

Referring to the Red Line BRT, Mr Memon said the project had faced criticism but was restarted after strengthening earlier construction work and it had now reached completion stages.

He said University Road and its adjoining roads had already seen noticeable improvement.

He said that development work was continuing day and night, with daily inspections by Trans Karachi and transport department teams, and that he would also conduct surprise visits to remove any obstacles affecting the progress.

The minister said work was also under way on the Yellow Line BRT project and that both projects would significantly improve public transport facilities once completed.

He acknowledged that large-scale development projects in a densely populated city caused temporary inconvenience and said the government apologised to citizens for the difficulties faced.

Published in Dawn, January 29th, 2026

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