KARACHI: The Karachi Circular Railway has started operation on Thursday (today), after Railways Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed inaugurated the project in Karachi.

Addressing the inaugural event, Railways Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed said the Karachi Circular Railway was initiating to operate four trains daily from Pipri to Karachi City station. The train is being run after 20 years of its standing still.

The federal minister said that fare for the KCR was set at Rs30 per side travel. “It will run from 15 to 20 km/ hour. 16 phataks, eight stations and 21 stops are present between the complete tracks,” he added.

“Four trains will take passengers to their destinations. Citizens will be able to travel from Pipri Railway station in Bin Qasim area to City Station in one and a half hours. The train will stop for one minute at Bin Qasim, Steel Mills, Port Qasim and Landhi Station,” he said.

He said first train will leave at 7 am and arrive at City Station at 8:30 am. Second train will leave Pipri Station at 4:30pm and arrive at City Station at 6 pm. While, first train from City Station will leave at 7 am and reach at Pipri at 8:30am and second train will leave City Station at 5:00pm and reach Pipri in one and a half hours, he maintained.

Sheikh Rasheed said they were starting with two up and two down trains and next month the number would be doubled to four up and four down trains, which would be followed by 10 up and 10 down trains. “We are manufacturing 40 trains for this purpose,” he said.

Federal Railways Minister said the government was going to run Mehran Express from Karachi to Mirpur Khas as well. Pakistan Railways’ so much lands were occupied that if they were sold all the deficit of railways would be finished, he said. He said the Railways was not getting political support to vacate the occupied lands.