TALK of ‘revival’ of the long-dead Karachi Circular Railway has turned into a running joke for denizens of this unfortunate metropolis. The last KCR train stopped chugging in 1999, and in the 26 years since several governments have talked of ‘reviving’ the urban transport scheme. Yet these plans never come to fruition, or half-baked efforts stall because of legal disputes, bureaucratic bungling, or disagreements between the federal and Sindh governments. But the provincial administration feels that all hope should not be lost on this count. While meeting the Chinese consul general in Karachi on Wednesday, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said he was “committed” to relaunching the KCR with Beijing’s help. In fact, Mr Shah has plans to visit the Chinese capital in September to try and kick-start the KCR. Time will tell whether this visit yields tangible results or adds to previous failed efforts.

As stated above, several attempts have been made to restart the KCR. These include a Japanese plan that was abandoned, as well as including the scheme in the CPEC framework. A partial ‘revival’ was made in 2020, plying on a very limited basis when compared to the original KCR route; this attempt was soon forgotten. That Karachi needs an integrated transportation system — linking bus rapid transit corridors, feeder buses and a modern urban train system — is stating the obvious. The present state of public transport in Pakistan’s largest city can be described as exceptionally lousy. The city’s weary commuters can rightly ask if the state — centre and province — has the collective will to clear the encroachments and bureaucratic bottlenecks, and address the funding constraints hindering the KCR’s actual revival. Moreover, our Chinese friends may be uninterested in throwing money at a project with no coherent plan for its restoration. Therefore, when the Sindh CM heads to Beijing, he must have a workable scheme ready to resuscitate the KCR.

Published in Dawn, July 11th, 2025