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The Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) on Thursday started partial operations on a 14km cleared stretch of the around 55km route of the old KCR.

Initially, trains would run along the Karachi City-Orangi-Karachi City route while operations on the remaining tracks would be launched later, Pakistan Railways (PR) Chairman Dr Habibur Rehman Gilani said earlier.

Rashid said there was a huge land mafia on the KCR tracks and the Sindh government would try to clear it.

"In 25 years, the land mafia has taken over the KCR tracks. We are making efforts [...] We are fully cooperating with the Sindh government. They have started work on sewerage lines, they have [issued tenders] for over-bridges. As more bridges keep coming, we will increase the KCR [tracks] and the credit goes to the Imran Khan government.

KCR schedule

According to a spokesperson for the PR, the first KCR train (1-Up) would depart at 6.30am from Orangi station and reach the destination at 9.15am via Manghopir, SITE, Shah Abdul Latif, Baldia, Lyari, Wazir Mansion, Karachi City, Cantt, Departure Yard, Drigh Road, Drigh Colony, Airport, Malir Colony, Malir, Landhi, Juma Goth, Bin Qasim and Baldia Nullah.

The second train would depart at 10am followed by a third at 1pm, and the last one at 4pm.

Similarly, the departure time of the train from Marshalling Yard to Orangi is at 7am, followed by a second train at 9.30am, third at 1pm and finally at 4.30pm.

Revival after 21 years

KCR started in 1964 and continued to rise in popularity, carrying as many as six million passengers a year in its heyday. Indeed, for over 25 years, the circular railway ? which connected all major industrial, commercial, educational and residential areas of the city at that time ? remained the Karachiite?s public transport of choice.

However, unable to withstand the pressures of a growing transport mafia, a deteriorating commuter service and an increasing culture of fare dodging, the railways? incompetent bosses abandoned Karachi?s rudimentary mass transit system. After another decade of wobbly and sporadic service, KCR finally shut down for good in 1999.