1 killed as under construction Red Line structure collapses on Karachi’s University Road

AI Summary

A section of the under-construction Red Line bus rapid transit structure collapsed on Karachi’s University Road, killing a security guard at the site. The long-delayed 27-kilometre project has faced construction and coordination obstacles, while the collapse adds to disruption for commuters.

KARACHI: A security guard was killed on Wednesday after an under-construction bridge structure of the Red Line project collapsed near Baitul Mukarram mosque in Gulshan-i-Iqbal, according to a Rescue 1122 spokesperson. The deceased was performing security duties at the site when the structure collapsed, the spokesperson said. A Rescue 1122 team was dispatched to the site after the Central Command and Control Centre received the report, the spokesperson added. The collapse comes as work on the Red Line project continues. Last week, Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon said efforts were underway to complete the ongoing work and restore traffic flow on University Road. The stalled construction on the Red Line had resumed in November 2025, after the removal of several bottlenecks following the chief minister’s intervention. Meanwhile, thousands of University Road commuters continue to face daily hardships. Designed to cover around 27 kilometres from Malir Halt to Numaish via University Road, the BRT Red Line project was announced in 2017 with an initial cost of around Rs79 billion. After commencement of the work in early 2022, the project was initially scheduled for completion by 2023, which was later pushed to 2024 and subsequently extended to the end of 2026. Various factors have been cited by officials to justify these delays, including disputes with contractors, safety stoppages, rising construction costs due to depreciation of the rupee, difficulties in land acquisition, relocation of utilities and coordination failures between implementing agencies.