CM, Minister Push for KCR Revival

Karachi, September 7, 2025, 08:31 PM PKT — Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and Railways Minister Hanif Abbasi have forged a critical alliance, agreeing on Friday, September 5, 2025, to finalize modalities for the long-delayed Karachi Circular Railway (KCR), tasking experts from both sides to jointly resolve technical details, as per a CM House statement. The 43.2km project, under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), features 25.51km elevated tracks and 17.7km at ground level, with 24 stations (13 elevated, 11 on-ground), aiming to serve 650,000 daily passengers with east–west and north–south connectivity, though its updated feasibility awaits Chinese approval.

Shah voiced frustration over delays, urging urgent revival through a collaborative model involving Sindh, Pakistan Railways, donor agencies, and the private sector, while noting 11 acres of railway land cleared in anti-encroachment drives near Drigh Road, Karachi University, Urdu College, and Gillani stations, despite persistent encroachments near Liaquatabad and Urdu College. He pledged provincial support for encroachment removal and urban rehabilitation. The meeting explored station outsourcing and new train services, with Abbasi committing full federal backing. Web context on infrastructure projects shows past setbacks, while posts found on X reflect hope mixed with impatience—some cheer progress, others demand speed. Critically, the narrative of “project revival” may mask execution risks—web data hints at funding delays, and X sentiment suggests distrust in timely completion, pointing to potential hurdles.