By Ayesha Saba

The Karachi Mobility Project’s BRT Yellow Line is moving ahead on multiple fronts, with cumulative FPA disbursement reaching Rs31,724.16 million and expenditure standing at Rs19,927.76 million as of July 30, 2026, while the procurement of upcoming construction packages and plans for an electric bus fleet are also progressing.

According to the documents available with Wealth Pakistan, the cumulative FPA (foreign project assistance) disbursement stood at $114.02 million, while expenditure reached $71.78 million. The disbursement from the Government of Sindh (GoS) has reached Rs2,037.32 million, or $7.35 million, against an expenditure of Rs1,896.12 million, or $6.83 million.

During FY2025-26, up to June 30, the FPA disbursement amounted to Rs15,712.91 million ($56.33 million), while expenditure stood at Rs8,491.00 million ($30.47 million). The GoS disbursement during the period was Rs2,000 million ($7.19 million), with an expenditure of Rs1,858.8 million ($6.67 million), according to the project documents.

Construction is also progressing on packages already under execution. Package 4 (Jam Sadiq Bridge), covering 1.1 kilometres, has achieved 56.21% progress, with completion targeted for March 2027.

Package 1 (Depot-2), spread over 9.25 acres, has made 40.93% progress, with September 2026 listed as the completion date; meanwhile an extension of time is under preparation between the JV consultant and the contractor.

Package 1 (Depot-1), covering 2.95 acres, has recorded 12.35% progress. The project documents list April 2026 as the completion date, while noting that an extension of time (EOT) up to November 13, 2026, has been determined by the engineer and shared with the PMC for recommendations.

The documents further show that a full-electric bus fleet has been proposed for the project on the basis of lifecycle cost analysis. The estimated procurement and deployment cost of the fleet is approximately $90.6 million, while 50% of the estimated procurement cost, or $45.3 million, will be supported by the World Bank.

A bundled public-private partnership (PPP) model has also been recommended, along with distance-based fare increments and a proposed Minimum Revenue Guarantee structure to improve project bankability. The project is expected to become self-sustaining after the debt-servicing period.

The Yellow Line is designed around a 21-km dedicated BRT corridor from Dawood Chowrangi to Numaish, with integration into the common corridor up to Tower. It will have 28 stations, comprising 21 at-grade, five elevated, and two underground stations. It is designed as a third-generation BRT integrated with the Karachi Breeze Network.

According to the project overview, BRT operations are targeted to begin in January 2028, while bus deliveries are planned to start from February 2028.

The project is intended to improve mobility along Korangi Road, Shahrah-e-Faisal and Shahrah-e-Quaideen, while providing integration with the Red, Green and Orange BRT lines. The electric public transport system will help reduce congestion, travel time, emissions, and dependence on unsafe modes of transport.

The BRT Yellow Line was approved by ECNEC in October 2019, and the revised PC-I was approved on February 2, 2026.

Credit: INP-WealthPk