The long-awaited Karachi Circular Railway project faces further delay, raising fresh concerns over when the city’s commuters will finally get a modern rail transport system.
Sindh Chief Minister (CM) Murad Ali Shah expressed concern over the slow progress towards its revival.
The chief minister said the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) should have become operational much earlier, but the project has continued to face financial and implementation challenges.
The railway is intended to provide an alternative transport option for commuters in Pakistan’s largest city, where heavy traffic and growing travel demand put pressure on the road network.
However, a fully revived and modern KCR system remains out of reach, with no new opening date announced.
The Karachi Circular Railway was included in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) framework in December 2016, following a request from the Sindh government.
Since then, several plans have been considered to bring the railway back into operation.
One proposal involved a build-operate-transfer model under a public-private partnership. The plan was later abandoned, and the government turned its attention back to potential Chinese investment through CPEC.
The provincial government has also approached international lenders for financial support.
Despite these efforts, the project has yet to develop into a complete, modern urban railway system.
Limited railway services resumed on part of the route in 2020, but the partial restoration did not deliver the city-wide transport network originally envisaged.
Karachi depends heavily on road transport, including buses, cars, motorcycles and rickshaws. Congestion on major roads often makes daily journeys difficult, particularly during peak hours.
A fully operational Circular Railway could offer commuters another way to travel between different parts of the city.
It could also help reduce pressure on busy roads and improve connections with other public transport services.
However, the benefits would depend on the railway operating as part of an integrated transport network, with reliable services and convenient connections for passengers.
Murad Ali Shah has said the provincial government remains committed to major infrastructure projects despite financial and administrative difficulties.
