Railways, as solution of Karachi commutation woes

Trains are an effective and trouble-free public commutation system in all the major and mega cities of the world. Specially in the combined regions of South Asia and Fareast including China, where statistically half of the earth population reside, railway transit is essential for urban transport infrastructure. Either it is Beijing and Tokyo or Bangkok and Mumbai, local trains are a popular and effective means of life in a metro.

But what about Karachi which lacks any local train system? Is it no longer the most developed city of Pakistan, or lost the status of a megacity ? Even in this month of October, Lahore took unprecedented initiative and launched the Orange Train for citizens there, while Karachi is still bashing on revival of Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) that was suspended in 1999.

Once tram service and railways were used to be the best source of transportation in the metropolis. When Karachi was the capital of Pakistan, a tram network was a popular feature of commutation on the skirts of Sadder and M.A Jinnah Road. Though, majority of residents used buses and wagons for transportation within and surrounding of the old city areas. With the expansion of population, neigbourhoods like SITE area, Nazimabad, North Nazimabad, Liaqutabad, Federal B. Area, Gulshan e Iqbal came into existence and the then President Ayub Khan made a route of circular railway to facilitate the residents of these newly-emerged localities to travel daily to old city areas for their profession. Till the 1980s, the KCR was the best source of commutation among Karachities but thereafter, begun losing attraction gradually and was also insufficient for new developments like New Karachi, Gulistan e Jauhar and D.H.A., so ultimately closed in 1999.

As the Circular Railway stopped to function, land mafia occupied the land along the tracks and  still is a strong hurdle in the way of KCR revival. While commutation in Karachi has been getting hectic more and more with each passing day, making the private transporters another ruthless mafia of the city. Local governments always cites their legal disability on the subject of railways while federal and provincial governments hardly prioritise it in their programs.  

In 2008, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) submitted a feasibility report for the revival of Karachi Circular Railway, following it the Executive Committee of National Economic Council (ECNEC) approved Rs. 247 billion for the project in 2012 and in the 6th Coordination Committee meeting on December 29, 2016  the KCR has been made a part of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

The project, having 162 locomotives each with the capacity of 250 passengers, includes construction of 24 stations at 43.12 Km route, elimination of 22 level crossings, construction of 23.86 Km elevated tracks and 3.70 Km tunnel. It would function with 290 trains -- at an average speed of 45-50 Km/hour -- to ply on the route with frequency of 6 minutes and turnaround period of 43.12 Km is 66 minutes. It would likely to serve commuting needs of some 515,000 passengers each  day after its completion in 2020 and projected number of travellers would expected to increase 750,000 by the year 2030 and 915,000 in 2040.

Despite the fact that the revival of the KCR these days is confronted with a stalemate between Sindh Government and Pakistan Railways on the issues of lands and encroachments, the question is how much this Circular Railway system with existing network can be effective for citizens now, if revived on old patterns.

The 43-Km long railway line would reportedly go through Landhi, Wazir Mansion, Gulshan e Iqbal, COD, Gulistan e Jouhar, Orangi Town and Chanesar Goth with having 24 stations. But residents of New Karachi, Scheme 33, Surjani, Gulshan e Maymar, Clifton, D.H.A, Sadder, Korangi and many other areas cannot be benefitted from rail commutation with the already-existing circular railway network.

Even in areas where the railway stations are available, the vicinity is too big and dense that the KCR cannot serve even one single locality as a whole. For example, neither people reside in Buffer Zone and Godhra would benefit from the North Nazimabad station, nor people of Gulburg and Ancholi would have direct access to the Liaqutabad railway station. Similarly one wonders whether people of Gulistan e Jouhar would be able to avail the KCR service, where railway station is located outside the locality' limitation. To serve all these people parallel locomotive lanes or installation of more railway tracks are required.  

The Sindh Government recently announce that it is going to launch the first operational phase of the KCR on December 25, 2017 on a route between Wazir Mansion to Kharadar to Manghopir. In reality it is going to hand out no purpose and would serve only a filler in provincial government' shallow and shabby credentials. However, that doesn't mean to undermine the importance of KCR.

Railway transportation is must in Karachi today which can lessen the burden of vehicular traffic on roads and carbon density in environment. But important is the railway network should be meaningful and serve to a sizable amount of inhabitants. The  KCR may not obsolete but is not enough to cover all the metropolis. The city of 25 million dwellers further needs cross-rail lanes and proper railway networking including stations at all major areas to develop city on modern footings  with effective and trouble-free public transport system.

By

Infocus Editorial.