Comment by Riaz Haq on February 11, 2014 at 9:49am

Here's a Railway Tech story on Karachi Circular Railway (KCR):

..."The total length of the railway line is expected to be 50km and will cost about $1.58bn."
The execution of the project, however, is facing a few hurdles in land acquisition. Several households have been illegally living along the right of way of the proposed KCR. A resettlement action plan study was proposed to identify and provide land for the people affected by the project.
Following completion of the study, the land needed for the project was to be transferred to the KUTC. The resettlement study, however, has not been completed, and therefore, the project can not yet begin.
Karachi circular railway (KCR) revival project
A feasibility study for the revival of the KCR was conducted by Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO) in 2006. UK-based Scott Wilson Railways was appointed to validate the report prepared by JETRO.
Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA), which is funding the project, sponsored a final study prepared by Special Assistance for Project Formulation (SAPROF). US-based consultants Louis Berger validated the final report.
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The study prepared by JETRO recommended that the project should be executed in two phases. Phase I of the project will include a 28.3km circular section from Karachi Cantt to a proposed station at Gulistan-e-Johar. About 9km of this section will be elevated.
Phase II will consist of the 14.8km circular section from Gulistan-e-Johar to the proposed station at Liaquatabad. This section will have two dedicated tracks along the main line.
Phase II also includes a 5.9km airport line from Drigh Road to Jinnah Airport. This extension will either have an elevated or underground track. Other bridges, culverts and underpasses, wherever necessary, will be constructed for the project.
Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA) is providing the entire funding for the project through a soft loan. The loan is payable in 40 years by the stakeholders of the City District Government Karachi, Pakistan Railways and Government of Sindh (KUTC). The KUTC is planning an international tendering process for the project, which will be awarded on a turnkey basis. The winning contractors will operate it for the first two years of operation.
KCR line routes
The modernised KCR will follow a circular path, covering Karachi Cantt, Karachi city, Wazir mansion, Liaquatabad, Depot Hill, Drigh Road and Departure Yard. The extension towards the airport will start from Drigh Road and follow the path of the Pakistan Railways towards the airport.
KCR infrastructure
"About 23 stations are planned for the project."
The project will include the construction of 19 underpasses and three overhead bridges.
About 23 stations are planned for the project. The stations will feature computerised ticketing and vending machines, automated ticket gates and elevators.
The existing KCR has about 22 level crossings. Since the railway line passes through the major commercial areas of the city, these level crossings need to be removed to ensure that trains can operate at the proposed 6min headway. The level crossings are expected to be removed and replaced by underpasses or overpasses.
Rolling stock
The new KCR will be served by electric multiple units (EMU) with a capacity to carry 1,400 passengers. The maximum speed of the EMUs will be 100km/h. About 290 trains are expected to operate daily at a six-minute headway.
KCR signalling and communications
The project will feature modern signalling and telecommunication system. An automatic train control (ATC) system will also be set up for the railway

http://www.railway-technology.com/projects/karachicircularrailw/

Comment by Riaz Haq on April 1, 2016 at 4:47pm

#Japan's Ajinomoto to offer #halal seasonings in #Pakistan in collaboration with Lakson Group- Nikkei Asian Review http://s.nikkei.com/1SsHHLV 

TOKYO -- Ajinomoto will set up a company in Pakistan to sell halal-certified seasonings, aiming to tap a market of nearly 200 million people as well as gain a firmer foothold near the Middle East and its heavily Muslim population.

The Japanese company will form a joint venture with Pakistani conglomerate Lakson Group in Karachi, Pakistan's largest commercial center. The venture will be capitalized at about 1.2 billion yen ($10.7 million), with Ajinomoto owning 85% and Lakson 15%. It will import such products as fried chicken coating and meat-flavored Masako seasoning from Indonesia and market them across Asia using Lakson's sales network. The two companies are targeting about 1.3 billion yen in sales by fiscal 2022, aiming to eventually turn this into a 10 billion yen business.

Ajinomoto set up an office in Pakistan in July 2014 and has studied trends in the country's food markets and logistics industry. Although it sells its namesake monosodium glutamate flavoring through local stores, it apparently faces an uphill battle against more established Chinese rivals.


Lakson, which works in finance and information technology, also partners with foreign companies to manufacture and sell such items as tea, detergents and soap. Its products are carried by 180,000 retailers across the country. The partnership with Ajinomoto will add high-value-added seasonings such as meat flavorings for lentil soup -- an important part of home cooking -- to Lakson's portfolio.

Ajinomoto expects to report group sales of 1.26 trillion yen for fiscal 2015, with the food segment accounting for about 70%. Domestic food sales are seen totaling 404.5 billion yen and overseas sales 502.7 billion yen. The company has focused on such countries as Brazil, the Philippines and Indonesia as foreign growth drivers. It considers Indonesia key to future growth, positioning it as a base for cultivating the Muslim market.

The company will spend 360 billion rupiah ($27.3 million) to boost Masako production capacity by 30% in Indonesia, where it has had success making and selling halal products. For Pakistan, whose Muslim population is second only to Indonesia's, Ajinomoto will develop products tailored to Muslim dietary habits as well as consider local production.

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