PR to build Circular Railways in Karachi at cost of US $ 1Bln
By Saba Imran 'Pakistan Times' Staff Reporter

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Railways would build Circular Railways in Karachi at a cost of US $ one billion, said Minister for Railways Sheikh Rashid Ahmed.

Talking to 'Pakistan Times' [Daily Web Newspaper] on Monday he said, the project has been awarded to PR by the Government of Sindh which would include laying of 20 km new track besides up-gradation of the 30 km existing track around the Megapolis.

The project would be completed within shortest possible time of around four years, he said.

He said that the Circular Railways project would also cover the areas like Sohrab Goth and Jinnah International Terminal of Karachi airport.

He said the project after completion would help ease the existing tremendous pressure on the public transport as a number of circular trains would start running around the port city round the clock.

In the meantime, he said PR would lay down a new railway track between Kotari and Karachi by by-passing the Dhabeji Railway Track.

He said this project would not only help reduce 35 km distance between the two cities besides curtailing 45 minutes running time of a passenger.

He said the PR had already awarded the laying of high speed railway track between Lahore and Rawalpindi to the firms from Spain and Austria.

Answering a question, he said a new train between Rawalpindi and Peshawar would steam off on Tuesday. The train would run twice a day between both the destinations, he added.●