| Karachi Circular Railway | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Overview | |||
| Owner | Karachi Urban Transport Corporation | ||
| Locale | Metropolitan Karachi | ||
| Transit type | Commuter rail | ||
| Number of lines | 3 | ||
| Number of stations | 24 | ||
| Headquarters | Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan | ||
| Operation | |||
| Began operation | 1964 | ||
| Infrastructure manager(s) | Pakistan Railways | ||
| Technical | |||
| System length | 43.24 kilometres (27 mi) | ||
| Track gauge | 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) | ||
| |||
Karachi Circular Railway (abbreviated as KCR)[1] (Urdu: کراچی سرکلر ریلوے, Sindhi: ڪراچي سرڪيولر ريلوي) is a partially active regional public transit system in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan, which serves the Karachi metropolitan area.[2] KCR was fully operational between 1964 and 1994, until it was abruptly shutdown in 1999.[3] Since 2001, several restart attempts were sought and in November 2020, the KCR partially revived operations on the orders of Supreme Court of Pakistan.[4][5][6]
With its hub at Karachi City station on I. I. Chundrigar Road, KCR's revived operations would extend north to Gadap, east to Dhabeji, south to Kiamari and west to Hub in Balochistan. The revived KCR operation is intended to become an inter-regional public transit system in Karachi, with an aim to connect the city centre with several industrial and commercial districts within the city and the outlying localities.[7]
Revival efforts of KCR had been proposed several times since becoming defunct in 1999 and remained unfulfilled mainly due to lack of financial and political backing. In May 2017, the federal government approved a Rs. 27.9 billion (US$97 million) restoration package for the KCR,[8] however delays and disputes with the Sindh provincial government ultimately led to the cancellation of the funding.
Civil society has constantly fought for the revival of the KCR. Due to pressure both from outside and within government circles, a plan for its rehabilitation, financing, and implementation has been developed.[9] In August 2020, the federal government approved a Rs. 10.5 billion (US$36 million) rehabilitation package for the KCR restoration. The funding is slated to cover only phase one and phase two of KCR's restoration project, similar to the restoration of the Karachi-Peshawar Railway Line, according to Ameer Muhammad Daudpota.[10]
- ^ "Karachi Circular Railway Map". flickr.com. 4 October 2009. Retrieved 4 October 2009.
- ^ "After 21 years, Karachi Circular Railway begins partial operations". 27 November 2020.
- ^ "Karachi Circular Railway Revival".
- ^ "Karachi Circular Railway begins partial operations". 19 November 2020.
- ^ "Chairman Railways visits KCR track". 10 August 2020.
- ^ "Supreme Court gives four more months to overhaul railways". 20 August 2020.
- ^ "Karachi Circular Railway Revival, Pakistan". Railway Technology. railway-technology.com. Retrieved 4 October 2012.
- ^ "CDWP approves restoration of Karachi Circular Railway". Geo TV. Retrieved 5 May 2017.
- ^ Hasan, Arif; Raza, Mansoor (July 2015). "Responding to the transport crisis in Karachi". IIED Working Paper. International Institute for Environment and Development: 16. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
- ^ "Rs 10.5b allotted for KCR rehabilitation in ML-1 style". 26 August 2020.