ISLAMABAD
After taking great amounts of dilly dallying from various federal and provincial departments, Japan has finally separated itself from financing the $ 2.5 billion Karachi Circular Railway (KCR). However, China has emerged as the new contender to finance, as well as construct, the 43.2-kilometre long railway line in the densely populated coastal city of Karachi.
This information was fetched from the ministry of planning and ministry of railways officials to the Senate standing committee on planning, which is chaired by Senator Tahir Mashhadi, here on Monday.
They said that Japanese development agency, JICA has left the project. The project is included in the CPEC projects and the Chinese now plan to develop the project within next three years, which if done properly will be inaugurated by September 2020.
The officials said that the project is being developed by the government of Sindh and China. The ministry of planning and ministry of railways, it is being said, have no role in the project, as provincial government was negotiating the matter with the Chinese government independently.
The planning commission will, however, oversee the final details of the project once submitted by the Sindh government for ECNEC approval.
The member apprised that the delay by federal and provincial departments caused a delay in finalising a deal with Japan.
They said that in case Japan would have financed, the project would have taken ten years to complete, as the project was to be constructed in two phases.
On the other hand, the Chinese have committed to complete it in three years. They have also included it in CPEC projects.
KCR will have a standard gauge double track out of which 15 km will be on the ground and 28 km elevated.
The corridor will have 24 stations, including 14 elevated and 10 at the ground station. The train will have a design speed of 120 km per hour. The projected ridership is estimated at 550,000 passengers per day, at 26,280 passengers per hour per direction in the opening year 2020.
The train track will be constructed on modern lines along the abandoned track passing through Shah Faisal Colony, Gulistan-e-Johar, NIPA, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Federal B Area, Manghopir, SITE, Baldia, Orangi, Wazir Mansion and Chanesar Goth.
KCR was discontinued in 1999, owing to poor operational efficiency. In 2005, Japan was approached for the revival of KCR.
