Karachi: On Thursday, the Central Development Working Party (CDWP)cleared 3 projects of 280 Billion Rupees, including the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR).
Karachi Circular Railway (condensed as KCR). It is a partially active regional public transit system in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. KCR was fully operational between 1964 to 1994. It was all of a sudden shutdown in 1999. Since 2001 several attempts were taken to revive it. In November 2020, the KCR partially revived operations on the orders of the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
For the last few decades, Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) is facing many difficulties for being on the rails. There are multiple reasons behind the declining condition of this department. Poor Governance, Corruption, Political Interference, Huge deficits, and poor infrastructure is stopping this department.
With the hope that one day this department of Pakistan will emerge, The Central Development Working Party (CDWP) has cleared 3 projects of Rs 280 Billion. KCR has 273 Billion Rupees for the betterment of its partially revived infrastructure.
Karachi Circular Railway
The meeting was conducted by Deputy Chairman Planning Commission Dr. Jahanzeb Khan. He has finalized the budget of Rs273.071 Billion. It is the cost of KCR for the modern urban railway project. Although, He has mentioned the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) to endorse its execution in the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model on a formwork move premise.
Alse See: Pak-Iran-Turkey Freight Train Resumed After 10 Years
A meeting happened on January 25th. This meeting was in between Public-Private Partnership Authority (P3A) and conducted by Asad Umar, planning minister. He has asked Railway divisions and and planning commission to finalize the estimated cost and submit to CDWP. Although, there is no issue regarding passing the bill but for scrutiny and approval by ECNEC.
The government of Pakistan has announced back to 2020 in September about the inauguration of the project of Karachi Circular Railway. The Government has aimed to complete this project like they have completed the project of the green bus in Karachi.
Construction of KCR
They have aimed to make a dual carriage track of 43km long with 29km elevated. Whereas, it will include overhead bridges and underpasses with 22 different stations. It will be worth Rs 27 Billion. Out of 27 Billion, Federal will have 21 Billion and Sindh will have 6 Billion.
Karachi is the world’s third most populous city, according to Wikipedia, and, by all means, one of the world’s ten megacities. Simultaneously, it is the only city of this size that doesn’t have a mass transit transport system now when surprisingly, it did have one in the past i.e. Karachi Circular Railway (KCR).
Karachi had circular railways and well-functioning buses decades back whereas this big city is now craving for the proper mass transport system. This project can lead Karachi to those old days. The benefits Karachi will have from this project will be, it will save tons of gasoline. Eventually, it will also decrease the pollution of this big city. Furthermore, It will also save the time of tons of people and which can be beneficial for the city’s as well as country’s GDP.
The project is expected to serve a daily ridership of 457,000. It is expected to increase to one million a day by the end of the 33-year concession period. It will deploy the use of electric trains and will be operational round the week. The project involves 30 stations along the corridor covering the most densely populated areas of Karachi.
To conclude, this sort of project has many positive externalities. It has the tremendous type of advantages which can always help a developing country like Pakistan. There are problems indeed, but in the end, if it is helpful for the development of the country. It is worth enough to carter with these difficulties.