Mass transit

This refers to the editorial, ‘Off track’ (February 15). Karachi is in dire need of a mass transit system due to its ever increasing population. The Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) project – a public transit system – was conceived in 1964. It began regular passenger service in 1969 but was

By our correspondents
February 17, 2015
This refers to the editorial, ‘Off track’ (February 15). Karachi is in dire need of a mass transit system due to its ever increasing population. The Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) project – a public transit system – was conceived in 1964. It began regular passenger service in 1969 but was shutdown in 1999 due to gross mismanagement.
In 2012, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) agreed to a $2.5 billion loan to the Karachi Urban Transport Corporation for upgrades and rebuilding the 50-kilometre track. But the project did not materialise due to encroachments. Now, a hunt is on to seek a Chinese company to take over the project and start the same from scratch. Nobody will disagree with the contention that mass transit is the need of the hour in Karachi. The KCR project needs to be revived at all costs and irritants removed as soon as possible. In the same manner, we should also explore the possibilities of starting a train in Peshawar that could run between Peshawar Cantt and Hayatabad via University Town.
Air-Cdre (r) Azfar A Khan
Rawalpindi