KARACHI: The Pakistan Railways (PR) has made all arrangements for an environmental impact assessment (EIA) of the proposed Karachi Circular Railway (KCR), Daily Times learnt on Wednesday. EIAs are mandatory for all mega projects.“We are waiting for the federal government to award the contract for the EIA,” said a senior official of the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) on condition of anonymity.
The revived KCR will cater about 0.7 million passengers from 23 different stations of industrial, commercial and residential areas of the city. It is 50 kilometers long, comprises three zones and will pass through 21 underpasses and bridges. The Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) will sponsor the project and the Japanese government will provide a loan of $872 million.
In the first phase, a track will be constructed from the city station to Landhi and the two lines will run parallel to the main railway tracks.
In the second phase, a track will be constructed from Drigh Road station and after crossing Shahrah-e-Faisal it will pass Gulistan-e-Johar, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Liaquatabad, Nazimabad, SITE, Baldia, Lyari, Mithadar and will finally touch the Karachi city station.
In the third phase a line will spread from Drigh Road station to the Jinnah International Airport. “Karachi is the largest urban center of Pakistan but does not have a proper transport system which causes congestion, pollution and accidents,” he added. The KCR was functional in 1964 and 1970 but due to a low number of trains and lack of investment it was closed. A plan for a mass transit system for the city has been under consideration since 1976, but for various reasons the project has been kept on hold.
When KCR Project Director Aijaz Hussain Khilji was contacted for details on the project, he said that he was out of the city but he would not have issued a statement anyway because of restrictions from by the Railways ministry. Answering a query about the slum settlements in the route of the KCR, he said that there are no land issues for KCR.
According to Railway laws, 100 feet from either side of the railway track must be remain vacant, said Pakistan Railway Karachi Divisional Engineer, Noor Al Din. “However, slums are spread over a large area owned by the Pakistan Railways and some have even come 60 feet close to the railway track,” he said. “But I have no idea how the KCR administration will resolve the matter as I am not related to that department.”
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