KARACHI'S CIRCULAR RAILWAY

Karachi is big. This one city has more people than dozens of countries, packed into an area smaller than your typical tropical island. In other words, it's the perfect recipe for mindblowing traffic jams.

Karachi is the largest city on Earth without some kind of government run mass transit system—not even buses. That means that if you want to get anywhere too far to get to by foot, you have to deal with the private transport sector, which has turned moving people into a business. Travel is usually subsidized in megacities to boost commerce and productivity, but here those involved are bent on making travelers pay as much as possible.

Believe it or not, Karachi once had a very successful transit system—the Karachi Circular Railway. Established in 1969, the system was a quick success and actually made a profit during the 1970s and 1980s, with 6 million riders per year. Unfortunately, like many government run enterprises, the system fell prey to mismanagement and bribery from the private transport sector, and started making losses during the early 1990s, eventually closing in 1999.

Recently, however, the government has decided to revive the railway line, which starts near Karachi Port and ends at the Drigh Road flyover, by Shah Faisal Colony, running through Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Liaquatabad, Nazimabad, SITE, Baldia, Lyari and Kharadar. There will be 23 stations, and after completion the track expects to see 700,000 commuters a day. An additional track will also be constructed to Jinnah International Airport.

Surprisingly enough, finances will probably not be a major problem for the Railway: Japan agreed to loan Rs. 2.5 billion for the project, which covers more than 90% of the cost. What may pose a problem is land encroachment, as buildings have been built far too close to the track for safety. An 83 foot wide corridor is to be cleared before operations begin.

Hopefully this time around we won't see the private sector take the project down. The railway will add much needed relief to Karachi's monstrous traffic problems, but will by no means fix it. For that, the railway needs to be extended into a comprehensive metro system, like those already existing in other cities Karachi's size. It'll be a long while before that happens, but the revival of the KCR will be a good start in creating a functional transport system for Pakistan's largest city.

By: Humza Hemani