Karachiites can now take a day trip to Dhabeji

President Dr Arif Alvi inaugurates local train service

KARACHI: President Dr Arif Alvi and Federal Minister for Railways Sheikh Rashid inaugurated a local train service, Dhabeji Express, at Karachi's City Station on Wednesday after a passage of 11 years. The train service will become operational for the general public today.

Thousands of citizens are expected to be facilitated with this service on a daily basis. The operation of Dhabeji Express is also expected to ease the vehicular traffic flow on Sharae Faisal to some extent during rush hours.

The duo also promised to revive the Karachi to Hyderabad shuttle service soon. Dhabeji Express was inaugurated by former Sindh governor Dr Ishratul Ebad in 2007 and was shut down hardly after a few months as it couldn't be sustained due to faulty planning.

Addressing the ceremony, Dr Alvi said that the transport woes of the city are very old. Referring to the railways, he said it is one of the best modes of transport. However, he pointed out that the institution suffered from corruption, due to which the goods transport also shifted to other modes of conveyance.

The President also pledged to help revive the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) in the city.

"The private sector is ready to support the local train service, but good governance is the need of the hour," he said, adding that the government cannot do everything. "The government's job is to open opportunities," he said. According to him, apart from Pakistan, the railways industry prospered across the world.

Meanwhile, Rashid said that on the directives of Prime Minister Imran Khan, they would take out Pakistan Railways from its current financial crisis.

Speaking about the Dhabeji Express, he said the employees of the railways restored old bogies. He said Wifi service has been introduced at seven stations of Pakistan Railways. He also expressed the wish to establish four industrial zones in every province. "We will run three train services between Hyderabad and Karachi," he claimed, adding that schools and other structures have already been removed from the tracks of Pakistan Railways.

There are seven bogies in the Dhabeji Express, which will leave the City Station in Karachi at 7am every morning and reach Dhabeji Station at 8:55am, after making stops at Drigh Road, Malir and Bin Qasim stations. Likewise, the other train will leave from Dhabeji daily at 6:15am. The minimum fare would be Rs25 and maximum Rs70. The total distance of the service will be 65 kilometers.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 1^st, 2018.