The revival of the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) and the launch of electric bus services in Karachi and other divisional headquarters of Sindh were agreed upon in a high-level meeting between Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and a high-powered Asian Development Bank (ADB) delegation led by Country Director Emma Fan.
\nBoth sides agreed to deepen development cooperation and expedite priority transport projects across the province.
\nOpening the discussion on Karachi\u2019s mobility challenges, Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah underlined that the Karachi Circular Railway remains a flagship priority for the provincial government.
\nHe said the megacity of Karachi urgently needs the KCR so it can serve as a feeder to various BRT lines and help resolve the city\u2019s transport issues. He added that his government was seeking financial and technical support to launch the circular railway.
\nSince ADB is already supporting the provincial government in developing the Red Line project, which is progressing swiftly, the chief minister said this is the right time for the bank to also support the revival of the Karachi Circular Railway.
\n\u201cKarachi Circular Railway is not just a transport project; it is a lifeline for the city,\u201d CM Murad Shah said. \u201cWe want to revive it with modern infrastructure and integrated urban planning. With ADB\u2019s technical and financial support, we can transform Karachi\u2019s mass transit system and provide affordable, safe transport to millions.\u201d
\nCM Shah noted that restoring the KCR would significantly reduce congestion, lower carbon emissions, and support inclusive economic growth in Pakistan\u2019s largest city.
\nThe ADB country director agreed in principle to the KCR project and advised the provincial government to submit the necessary documents so it could be placed before the bank\u2019s board for approval.
\nThe meeting also reviewed ADB\u2019s ongoing portfolio in Sindh and discussed a proposed development pipeline of nearly $3 billion for 2026\u20132029, covering transport, urban development, health, education, water, rural development, and climate resilience.
\nThe meeting also focused on expanding electric bus services in Karachi, and introducing the service in Hyderabad, Sukkur, and Larkana under a sustainable mobility framework. The chief minister said the Sindh government is committed to clean and green transport solutions to improve air quality and urban mobility.
\n\u201cElectric buses will not only modernise public transport but also help us tackle climate change and reduce fuel dependence,\u201d he said. \u201cOur vision is a climate-resilient, inclusive, and efficient transport system for all major cities of Sindh.\u201d
\nThe ADB Country Director discussed possible financing options, including project readiness financing and co-financing arrangements, to support these initiatives. The meeting agreed that the provincial government would submit the e-buses proposal to the ADB for necessary action.
\nThe proposed ADB pipeline for 2026\u20132029 includes major investments in health workforce strengthening, secondary education, sustainable mobility, urban and water projects, rural WASH programmes, coastal resilience, and public-private partnerships. Additional financing for the Karachi BRT Red Line and preparation of new urban and transport projects was also discussed.
\n\u201cOur focus is on timely completion, transparency and quality,\u201d the chief minister said. \u201cAfter the 2022 floods, we are not just rebuilding infrastructure \u2013 we are building back better and climate-resilient.\u201d
\nBoth sides agreed on the need to improve project readiness, streamline approvals, and strengthen institutional capacity to prevent delays and cost overruns. Murad Ali Shah directed the Transport & Mass Transit, Planning & Development, and Finance departments to accelerate preparatory work so priority projects could be included in the firm pipeline for 2026\u20132028.
\n\u201cSindh is ready to deepen its partnership with ADB,\u201d he said. \u201cWe want faster implementation, stronger governance, and visible results for our people.\u201d
\nADB Country Director Emma Fan appreciated Sindh\u2019s reform agenda and reaffirmed the Bank\u2019s commitment to supporting the province in sustainable transport, urban services, climate resilience, education, and inclusive growth.
\nThe meeting concluded with a shared resolve to advance trans-formative transport projects \u2013 led by KCR and electric buses \u2013 while progressing a broader development agenda across Sindh.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The revival of the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) and the launch of electric bus services in Karachi and other divisional headquarters of Sindh were agreed upon in a high-level meeting between Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and a high-powered Asian Development Bank (ADB) delegation led by Country Director Emma Fan. Both sides agreed …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":94266,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-94257","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94257","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=94257"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94257\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":94269,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94257\/revisions\/94269"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/94266"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=94257"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=94257"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=94257"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}