Karachi: Pakistan Railways has achieved further progress in reviving the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) as the commuter rail service is now available on a 74-kilomtres-long track in the provincial capital.
Earlier, in November last year, the then Railways Minister Shaikh Rasheed Ahmad inaugurated the KCR service on an over 40-kilometre track from Pipri Railway Station in suburbs of Karachi till City Railway Station in the city centre using the main railway track.
Now the KCR service will be available from Dhabeji Railway station from outside Karachi till Orangi Town station.
The Pakistan Railways’ main progress in this regard is restoration of 14 kilometres-long track within Karachi from City Railway Station to Orangi Town for providing the commuter rail service to the people of Karachi.
The newly restored intra-city railway track from City Station to Orangi Town comprises of eight commuter stations and 12 gated-crossings. The areas of Manghopir, SITE, Shah Abdul Latif, Baldia, Lyari and Wazir Mansion comes between the track from Orangi Town to City Station.
The one-side journey from Dhabeji to Orangi Town will cost each commuter just Rs 30 as the Railways has subsidised the ticket of the partially revived KCR service.
The KCR train comprises of five coaches as it has the capacity to accommodate 500 passengers.
The Railways makes progress to revive the KCR in line with the directives of Supreme Court of Pakistan.
Daily commute
In his statement on the occasion, Divisional Superintendent of Railways in Karachi Muhammad Hanif Gul greeted the people of the city as the revival of the KCR further got extended on a railway track within Karachi.
He said the KCR’s extended service would lessen the miseries of people of the city for their daily commute to and from the workplace.
He also appreciated the hard work by the officers, labourers, and staff members of the Railways to revive the KCR. The DS Karachi also personally inspected a 16 kilometres-long portion of the track from Orangi Town to Drigh Road railway station.
It is worth mentioning here that the KCR service had initially started in 1964 and came to a halt in 1999 mainly due to deterioration in service and acute financial losses incurred by the Railways.
