ONE often hears of some high-ranking official discussing the revival of the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR). Invariably, promises are made about it being made functional soon and the matter is then forgotten — until it is brought up again.

Nobody knows the ultimate fate of the KCR. This frustrates the millions of helpless commuters who have no choice but to use rashly-driven, rickety buses or obtain huge loans to buy a motorcycle or cars. This is the main reason for the exponential growth of vehicular traffic on the roads.

The ongoing metro bus mass transport project is long overdue; it is, however, never too late. This elevated/on-ground bus route is specified at some areas and will need extension to more far-flung areas of the city in the future. Since this vitally important project has been connected with the CPEC, there could still be a ray of hope that work on the KCR’s revival will begin sooner rather than later.

Z. A. Ansari

Karachi

Published in Dawn, April 23rd, 2018