Sindh cancels BRT Red Line contract over delays, to re-award work on emergency basis

The Sindh government has cancelled the construction contract for a key section of the Bus Rapid Transit Red Line project in Karachi and plans to re-award the remaining work on an emergency basis, Senior Minister Sharjeel Memon said.  

The BRT Red Line, spanning around 27 kilometres from Malir Halt to Numaish, was announced in 2017 with an initial cost estimate of Rs79 billion. The project cost has since increased to Rs103 billion due to delays and other factors.

Work began in early 2022 and was initially scheduled for completion in 2023, before being revised to 2024 and later extended to the end of 2026.

Memon said that the contract for the Mosamiyat–Numaish segment was terminated due to delays by the contractor despite multiple warnings to complete the project within the agreed timeline.

He said the government had attempted to resolve issues, including rate escalation, but the contractor failed to meet deadlines. He added that concerns had also been raised by the Asian Development Bank, which is financing the project, over the pace of progress.

To accelerate completion, the remaining work will be divided into smaller packages and assigned to multiple contractors.

Construction had resumed in November 2025 after earlier bottlenecks were addressed following intervention by Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah. However, no clear completion timeline has been finalised, with commuters on University Road continuing to face disruptions.

Officials have attributed delays to contractor disputes, rising construction costs linked to currency depreciation, land acquisition challenges, utility relocation and coordination issues among implementing agencies.

During a site visit in December, the chief minister was informed that heavy rains, design changes and infrastructure constraints had also contributed to slow progress.

Earlier, the Sindh High Court had directed authorities to resolve disputes among stakeholders to ensure uninterrupted execution of the project.