LAHORE: Federal Minister for Railways Hanif Abbasi on Monday said the government had started taking practical measures to improve railway tracks.
He said this while addressing a press conference at the Pakistan Railways Headquarters here after inaugurating a modernized reservation office and digital central control office. The minister said a new track would be laid from Rawalpindi to Lahore, aiming to reduce travel time to almost 2 hours and 20 minutes. He said: “Work on laying a new 480-km track from Rohri to Karachi will begin from first week of September.”
“Nokundi to Rohri is a 900-km-long track. Out of this, 400 km will be newly-constructed and 500 km upgraded,” he added. He said work would also be carried out on the Nokundi–Taftan track. By December 25, a new 105-km track connecting Thar coal would also be completed. To strengthen coordination among provinces, track access legislation has been made so that people from all provinces could benefit from the rail network. Sindh would sign MoUs related to different routes within the next 20 to 25 days, while Balochistan has already signed one. On August 14, the Peoples Train would be inaugurated in Quetta.
He said meetings were held between the Railways chairman and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief secretary on the same formula to facilitate people. Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz wants to complete the Rawalpindi-Lahore new railway track project during her current tenure. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has given the task of digitizing the Pakistan Railways, he said and added that the FWO had an important role in this effort.
The Pakistan Railways has signed a contract with the FWO, and a control room has been inaugurated. Before June 30, seven more control centres would be established. GPS-based trackers would be installed to ensure real-time tracking, with cooperation from the FWO.
The Railways minister said the first safe and smart station was established in Rawalpindi, and the second would be set up in Lahore. Similar stations would be established in all major cities. Wi-Fi facilities are available at all major railway stations. All efforts are being made to meet the target of generating Rs 100 billion in revenue. The Railways Marketing Department would be digitized, and automobile transportation by rail would begin this year. Railways would transport 700,000 tons of edible oil annually, generating Rs 2 billion per year. Transporting automobiles would generate approximately Rs 150 to 200 million per day.
The minister said that by June 30, 43 GEU-40 locomotives would be dedicated to freight operations. He said: “The Pakistan Railways is focusing on earning 80% of its revenue from freight and 20% from passengers.” He said the federal government had provided Rs 6 billion subsidy to prevent an increase in passenger and freight fares. Four rakes of Awam Express would be launched by May 30, with 40 new coaches. Allama Iqbal Express would also be upgraded, he said and added that efforts were also being made to ensure punctuality. He stated: “The Sahiwal power plant is the biggest revenue source for Railways, and its supply is currently at its peak.”
Consignments related to power plant would soon arrive and the issue related to the power plant would be resolved by May 10. He said significant focus was being placed on passenger facilitation. He thanked the Punjab government for constructing a 600-car parking facility for railway passengers. He said the Archaeology Department would begin restoration work on Taxila and Lahore railway stations within the next 8 to 10 days, restoring them to their original shape. Pakistan Railways Secretary/Chairman Mazhar Ali Shah and other officials were present.
