Peshawar Circular Railway (; ; abbreviated PCR) or Greater Peshawar Mass-Transit Circular Rail Project is a proposed inter-regional

commuter rail Commuter rail or suburban rail is a Passenger train, passenger rail service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting Commuting, commuters to a Central business district, central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter town ...

system for the

Peshawar Valley The Valley of Peshawar (; ) is a broad area situated in the central part of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The valley is in area, and is traversed by the Kabul River. It has a mean elevation of . The valley takes its name from the c ...

or Greater Peshawar

metropolitan area A metropolitan area or metro is a region consisting of a densely populated urban area, urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories which share Industry (economics), industries, commercial areas, Transport infrastructure, transport network ...

which aims to connect several industrial and commercial districts within Peshawar to the outlying suburbs and cities of

Jamrud Jamrūd (Pashto/) or Jam () is a town in the Khyber District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Located in the Valley of Peshawar, on the western fringe of Peshawar city, Jamrud is the doorway to the Khyber Pass which is just to the west of the to ...

, Charsadda,

Mardan Mardān is a city in the Mardan District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, Pakistan. Located in the Valley of Peshawar, Mardan is the List of cities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by population, second-largest city of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (after Peshawar). ...

, Nowshera, with future expansion to

Swabi Swabi (; ) is a city in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. It is located near the bank of the Indus River. It is the 73rd largest city of Pakistan and eighth largest in the province in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Swabi is also a major city in ...

. The PCR will primarily serve the Metropolitan Peshawar region, with operations extending to several other communities. In August 2016, the

Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa The Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ), is the provincial government of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Its powers and structure are set out in the provisions of the Constitution of Pakistan, 1 ...

signed a $1.6 billion memorandum of understanding (MoU) with China Communication and Construction Company for the project. This railway is expected to resolve transportation problems in the Peshawar region and generate jobs leading to the overall economic revival of the province. However, there had been little progress towards realizing the project until early 2024. According to the MoU, China Communication and Construction Company shall conduct a feasibility study, inclusive of concept design, cost estimation and will prepare a technical and financial proposal to the provincial government in respect of the development of the project. It would also provide technical specification to government for the soil investigation and survey. The Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa shall be responsible for obtaining all approvals permits, land rights and other necessary permissions to enable the company to complete the feasibility work. The government will facilitate the company to fulfill its obligations and responsibilities by providing available relevant local technical information and other necessary documents available in respect of project. The financial model for the project has to be agreed between the parties prior to commencement of the project through an agreement to be signed after fulfilling all legal and codal formalities.

Route

* Peshawar Cantonment * Peshawar City * Nasarpur * Taru Jabba * Pabbi * Pir Piai * Khushhal * Nowshera Junction * Mardan Junction * Charsadda ''Charsadda-Peshawar rail link yet to be constructed''

References

{{Peshawar topics Transport in Peshawar Regional rail in Pakistan Proposed public transport in Pakistan

Route

See also

References