KARACHI, 12 November 2006 — The Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) is being developed on most modern lines with the project being completed in three years by the year 2009.
Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz had stated that the people of Karachi would get the most modern transport facility. “It would be a gift from the federal government to the people of the city,” he had said at the announcement of the launch of the project.
Aziz had also assured the city that after the completion of KCR, the federal government, in collaboration with Japanese technical experts, would build a mass transport system connecting Sohrab Goth to Tower and Karachi Cantonment to Tower.
KCR will be a comfortable and luxury transport system at most economical price. Air-conditioned trains would run at 60 km per hour and each compartment would have spacious seats. Saving in money cost and travel time would surely be a gift to the commuters. The journey time would be reduced by 30 percent compared to the old buses and wagons plying on the roads.
The KCR project has moved ahead with the entire structuring being done by the Planning Commission of Sindh. The project will also be aided by the Japanese government and the Japanese Bank for International Cooperation.
Major players promoting the cause of Karachi Urban Transportation are CDGK, Sindh government and Pakistan Railways. Their respective roles will start once KCR quickens the completion of the second and the third phase of the project.
The sooner it starts proper functioning, it will play a composite role in the transport sector of the metropolis.
Giving out details, Ejaz Hussain Khilji, project incharge who is dealing with the project said that within three years we plan to launch the entire KCR program. He said the project may be completed earlier than the proposed timeframe, but it depends on the pace of work.
Hussain added that people had earlier wanted to travel shorter distance in lesser time, but now the situation is significantly different with people liking to travel in style and in class. Traveling in buses is not considered a better option.
Way back in 1964, when KCR was operative it made a huge impact on the transport industry, as many locals used its full capacity and it was a major player as far as facilitating the labor and working classes.
But now with the new program it is being hoped that a major difference will be seen once the plans are set, with three sub-stations located at NIPA, Gulistan-i-Johar and at Liaquatabad-Karimabad intersection.
