Karachi to have 44 km circular railway: ECNEC | So Good News

• Karachi wants KCR again.
• ECNEC has approved the KCR project worth nearly Rs300,000 million.
• Finance Minister Ishaq Dar chaired the ECNEC meeting.

The largest city in Pakistan, Karachi, will once again have a 44 kilometer long circular track. The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) has approved the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) project worth nearly Rs 300,000 million.

Union Minister for Finance and Revenue Mohammad Ishaq Dar chaired the ECNEC meeting on Monday.

Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal, Federal Commerce Minister Syed Naveed Qamar, Balochistan Planning and Development Minister Noor Muhammad Dummar, Federal Secretaries and Chairman FBR attended the meeting.

ECNEC approved in principle the Ministry of Railways Modified PC-1 for the upgradation of Pakistan Railways’ existing Main Line-1 (ML-1) project at a total cost of $9,851,079 million, subject to recommendation of costs, technical details and preferably a financial model for equity shares.

Main Line -1 (ML-1) runs from Karachi to Peshawar, passing through Kotri, Hyderabad, Rohri, Multan, Lahore and Rawalpindi.

ECNEC also gave an in-principle go-ahead to the KCR project at a total cost of Rs292.388 million with a foreign share of Rs263.149 million. The project envisages the construction of a 44 kilometer long dedicated track with modern light rail in Karachi. The track will start from Drig road and pass through areas including Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Federal B area, Liaquatabad, North Nazimabad, Nazimabad, SITE and Liyari.

ECNEC also approved in principle the establishment of 48 MW Shounter Hydropower Project in District Neelum, AJK subject to revision of cost based on dollar exchange rate. The project envisages construction of 48 MW hydropower project located on the lower reaches of Baral river, which is the right bank tributary of Neelum river, near Kel town village Shounter in Neelum Valley.