KARACHI: Administrator and Commissioner Karachi Iftikhar Ali Shalwani shared a plan to set up a 9-kilometre long tram service between Metropole Hotel and I.I. Chundrigar Road.
The Karachi administrator shared a tramline of service starting from Metropole street library to Merewether Tower passing through the I.I. Chundrigar Road.
Last month, Shallwani visited Turkey and sought the assistance of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality for running a tram service in Karachi at a reasonable cost.
Karachi’s Tramline: Metropole street library to@Tower via II Chundrigar Road pic.twitter.com/alUtBLuj2B
— Commissioner Karachi (@CommissionerKhi) November 22, 2020
While speaking to Istanbul Metropolitan’s deputy general secretary and director rails during his visit to Turkey, Shallwani said that Karachi and Istanbul had faced difficulties after the 1960s. However, he said Istanbul overcame its issues after the 1980s but Karachi is still striving to resolve them.
He said they had decided that the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality would cooperate with the KMC and exchange experiences and expertise for running a tram service in Karachi.
Shallwani visited the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality where he saw the civic system and facilities being provided to people. He was briefed about the road and rail infrastructure of Istanbul.
Shallwani also apprised Istanbul’s officials about the services being provided by the KMC and said the resolution of issues related to mass transit was their topmost priority.
He said a tram service was running in Karachi before the independence of Pakistan but it was later shut down. He said Karachi faces transport woes owing to its large population and they are considering restoring the tram service.
The administrator had said Turkey and Pakistan had exemplary relations and the latter helped Pakistan with its development, especially in the construction and mass transit sectors.
