CM Sindh, Asad Umar discuss Karachi Circular Railway revival

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Saturday discussed the revival of Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) with Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Reform Asad Umar.

The meeting was attended Planning and Development Secretary Niaz Rana, Additional Secretary P&D Asad Rafiq Chandna, Secretary Railways Habib Rehman, DG Planning Imran Mashal, Divisional Superintendent Railway Karachi Arshad Khattak

The chief minister was accompanied by Transport Minister Owais Qadir Shah, Chief Secretary Sindh Mumtaz Shah, Chairman P&D Muhammad Waseem, Administrator Karachi Iftikhar Shehlwani, and Commissioner Karachi Shaheel Rajput.

The meeting was informed that KCR was started in 1964 and continued till 1984. It was closed down in 1999 and was approved for revival by the Sindh government in 2006.

CM Sindh said the KCR revival project approved by ECNEC worth $2.6 billion. The feasibility was conducted by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) who oversaw the project until 2012.

In 2016, the chief minister has asked the prime minister to include KCR in the CPEC. A 12-km section of KCR project is overlapping the Main Line-1 project by Pakistan Railway.

ECNEC approves KCR revival project in 2017 worth Rs207.6 billion after receiving loans from the Chinese. The length of KCR route is 43.13 km including 14.95 km on ground and 28.18 km elevated. It will have 24 stations and will carry 550,000 passengers daily. The chief minister said that all encroachments have been removed from KCR’s route while the remaining 5 km needs to be cleared.

Secretary Railways briefed the meeting that the Supreme Court had directed to reinstate the KCR and it will be restored within six months. He said Ministry of Railways is working on KCR’s master plann and has built 12 KM up till the Green Line metro bus project.