Karachi Circular Railway’s first modern segment opens to limited service
A 14-kilometre stretch will run a reduced timetable while signalling tests continue on the rest of the loop.
Omar Siddiqui
Investigations, Islamabad
30 August 2026 at 11:40 am · 5 min read
Karachi’s long-promised circular railway is no longer only a map. From Thursday, a 14-kilometre segment between Drigh Road and Landhi will run a limited weekday service while engineers finish signalling on the remaining loop.
Fares start at Rs40. Trains will run every 20 minutes in the morning peak. The provincial transport minister called it “a beginning, not a boast,” and asked commuters to treat the first month as a live test.
What still has to work
Last-mile buses, station lighting, and women’s coaches were the three issues raised most often by civic groups. The operator said women’s coaches will be on every train from day one, and a feeder-bus tender will close this month.
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