By Jawad Ahmed ISLAMABAD, Feb 17 (INP-WealthPK): The revival of the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) is on the federal government's priority list as part of the Karachi Transformation Plan. Following the groundbreaking of the project performed by the prime minister in September 2021, the government has approved the transaction structure and project proposal for the construction of the KCR through Public Private Partnership (PPP) at an estimated cost of RS220 billion. Karachi, Pakistan's largest city with a population of over 16 million people, lacks a functional public sector rapid transit infrastructure like other major cities of the world. Rapid population growth and urbanisation amid insufficient transportation has resulted in huge motorisation on the roads in the last several years, resulting in issues such as traffic congestion, increasing air pollution, high travel cost and poor road safety, according to WealthPK. The KCR was the only rapid transport railway track built by Pakistan Railways (PRs) in 1964 to facilitate its employees to commute between their workplaces and homes in Karachi's eastern regions. Later, in 1969, the project was expanded to a 44-kilometre circular in order to facilitate commuters and connect the Karachi Port with other commercial and industrial centres of the city. In 1970s, when the KCR was fully operational, 104 trains ran daily, with 80 on the main track and 24 on the loop line. It remained fully operational until 1994. However, it was abruptly shut down in 1999 because of rising fuel prices, high operating costs, and huge losses due to subsidised ticketing, according to WealthPK. Since 2001, several attempts have been made to restore the KCR, but all have ended in failure due to financial and political impediments. The federal government is now eager to rehabilitate the KCR infrastructure through PPP, with the private sector in charge of construction, civil works, electrical and mechanical works, as well as the KCR operation and maintenance. The KCR is expected to be fully operational in three years, giving the government huge economic benefits and the people of the port city an affordable means of transportation. Consequently, this project will help reduce reliance on private vehicles, minimise traffic congestion, and help the country stabilise its current account deficit since the transportation sector is the single biggest consumer of imported oil products, according to WealthPK. Furthermore, efficient connectivity between the city's ports and other commercial centres will help ensure speedy transportation of raw materials and finished goods to and from the factories. This will result in an improvement in productivity as well as the country's GDP. Apart from these benefits, the restoration of the KCR will also have socioeconomic and environmental advantages since it will help stimulate economic activity, create new job opportunities and alleviate poverty. Karachi, which is both a densely-populated city and also an economic hub of Pakistan, desperately needs a well-functioning mass transit system.