The future of Karachi’s surface-rail public transport, Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) is still uncertain as the federal, provincial and city governments have yet to adopt a firm stance regarding its revival and they seem to be on different pages on this issue.
Meanwhile, Karachiites have been facing immense problems due to the lack of proper public transport facilities in the mega city. Karachi is far behind in its public transport facilities compared to the cities like Islamabad, Lahore and Multan. The Sindh government still seems undecided as to who will revive the KCR; JICA (a Japanese company), Pakistan Railways, or some Chinese firm.
Presently Karachiites depend on very old and inefficient minibuses that are unfit for the road and harmful for the environment. Due to a lack of public transport options, commuters often even sit on the rooftops of minibuses.
However, Pakistan Railways is fully capable of repairing and running the KCR within a couple of months, if all stakeholders – the federal, provincial and city governments – come to an agreement on the matter. It is believed that Karachi’s commuting issues would be lessened by at least 40 percent if the existing track of the KCR is repaired and local trains run on it.
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