KCR to resume operation from November 19 after 21 years

The Pakistan Railways has announced that it will partially resume the Karachi Circular Railway service from Thursday, November 19, after a 21-year closure.

The service was originally scheduled to resume for November 16, however it is now delayed over the non-finalisation of the arrangements.

Initially the railways will resume its operations on 14 kilometer track from Pipri to Orangi Town.

The first train will depart the Orangi station at 7 am in the morning followed by subsequent departures at 10 am, 1 pm and 4 pm. Simultaneously, departures shall also take place from Pipri station.

The project’s complete track will start from Drigh Road station, going through Gulistan-e-Jauhar and heading to Gulshan-e-Iqbal. From here it will turn towards Nazimabad going through Yaseenabad and Liaqatabad. The track then heads to Manghopir and SITE before going taking a turn towards Baldia and going through Lyari, Mereweather Tower, City Station and onward to PIDC and Karachi Cantt.

The KCR would then run parallel to Sharae Faisal and go through Chanesar Goth, Shaheed-e-Millat, and Karsaz before completing a round trip at the Drigh Road station.

A uniform fare of Rs. 50 per travel has been fixed.

Yesterday, a KCR train comprising four bogies and two locomotives travelled a 14-kilometre-long distance from Karachi’s City Railway Station to Orangi Town.

It was reported that the train took around two hours to cover the entire distance that is supposed to take minutes because of the dilapidated condition of the tracks and stations.

Upon contacting authorities in the Railways over the issue, Deputy Director Tariq Asad told Business Recorder that news circulating regarding track are baseless.

He said that railways’ own administration and other concerned departments have already visited and surveyed the track and cleared it for operation. Meanwhile there is now warning from any agency or other concerned authorities regarding poor condition of the track. The KCR project is 12.63 kilometres at grade (on the ground), and 30.75 kilometres elevated with 24 railway stations out of which 14 will be elevated. The average distance between each station will be 1.8 kilometres.