ISLAMABAD: The groundbreaking of the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) will take place in September 2021, a senior government official said on Wednesday.

Chairing a meeting to review the latest status of the KCR and Railways Freight Corridor projects in Islamabad, Federal Minister for Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives Asad Umar directed the Pakistan Railway to fulfill all the formalities at the earliest and ensure to make all the necessary arrangements for the groundbreaking of the KCR infrastructure by September 2021.

Simultaneous work on PPP components of KCR will result in months of time saving and completion of the project. So, the Railways would expedite the consultation with P3A.

During the meeting, the minister was briefed about the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) and informed that the KCR envisages construction of a 43 km-long world-class affordable mass transit system using environment-friendly electric trains.

The Railways secretary said the Karachi Circular Railway project is on track as per the timelines given by the ministry.

Discussing the Freight Corridor project from Keamari/KPT to Pipri Marshalling Yard, which envisages construction/dualisation/upgradation of 50km dedicated freight corridor from Karachi Port to Pipri and includes the development of an Inland Container Depot/Marshalling Yard at Pipri.

The meeting was briefed that the project is expected to facilitate 40 per cent of the cargo meant to be transported upcountry. Further, the plan has been submitted to the PPP Authority for its approval.

Federal Planning Minister Umar directed that the corridor must be designed to optimise the level-of-service outcome, and in addition to the financial costs, the destination time has to be reduced, as well.

Umar also directed all the relevant officials to ensure the completion of the projects within the timelines, as these projects are crucial for the socioeconomic wellbeing of the people of Karachi.

Federal Minister for Railways Azam Khan Swati, Planning, Railways secretaries, PPP Authority CEO and senior officials of the two ministries participated in the meeting.