Imran performs groundbreaking of Karachi Circular Railway project worth Rs207b

Tariq Butt, Correspondent

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan performed the groundbreaking of Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) project worth Rs207 billion in Karachi on Monday.

Addressing the ceremony, he said federal and provincial governments will have to work jointly to address issues of Karachi. He said water shortage is a big challenge of Karachi and the K-4 project will help resolve this issue.

Imran said Karachi is the economic hub of the country and we have to design more projects for the city to cope with growing population and transport issues.

In line with the vision of the federal government to modernise the public transport in Karachi, the circular railway is not only being rehabilitated but also being expanded and modernised.

The thirty stations of the modern circular railway will link residential, industrial and office areas. This will not only reduce the flow of traffic in Karachi but also facilitate the passengers.

A Pakistan Railways spokesman said the track of KCR will be built without crossings on which trains would run at the speed of 80 kilometres per hour while each train would have the capacity of 814 passengers.

Sindh Governor Imran Ismail said that the Rs207 billion mega project will be completed in three years, adding that 16 stations would be built along the 43kilometre-long track.

He said that Green Line Bus Service will also be operationalised next month and the K-4 water supply project will be completed by the end of 2023.

"Inclusion of Karachi Comprehensive Coastal Development Zone in CPEC [China-Pak Economic Corridor] is game changer. Will cleanup our marine habitat for fishermen, develop 20k low income housing units & present opportunities for investors. Will put Khi (Karachi) at par with developed port cities,” the premier posted on his official Twitter handle.