Federal Minister for Railways Muhammad Hanif Abbasi on Saturday inaugurated the upgraded platforms 4 and 5 at Rawalpindi Railway Station and said the government was focusing on track rehabilitation and operational improvements across the network.
Talking to media on the occasion, the minister said the biggest challenge facing Pakistan Railways was the condition of tracks, but added that the government was determined to overcome the difficulties.
He said railway officials had been assigned targets to be completed by June 30, warning that those who failed to achieve the assigned goals would have no right to remain on their posts. He expressed confidence that the targets would be achieved in view of the department’s performance so far.
Abbasi said the prime minister had directed that no negligence should be tolerated in the improvement of the railways, particularly the restoration of tracks.
He said agreements had been signed with Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan for regional connectivity, adding that an 840-kilometre corridor through Chaman, Kandahar, Herat and Turkmenistan would link Pakistan with Central Asia.
Referring to security issues, the minister said a freight train was targeted near the Quetta-Taftan border with Iran, and added that services could have been launched earlier had there been no attacks. He termed the operation of Jaffar and Bolan Express trains in Balochistan a major success. He said the opportunity to implement the ML-1 project had been missed in the past, but added that a 480-kilometre Karachi-Rohri section had secured approval of two billion dollars from the Asian Development Bank and work would start by the end of July.
The minister said the “Peoples Train” would cover Quetta with funding from the Balochistan government, adding that new stations would be built and coaches manufactured locally.
He said freight operations between Rohri and Karachi had increased from eight to 10 trains daily, with a target of 12. He added that schools and hospitals for railway employees would be improved within a year, noting that several schools were found in dilapidated condition.
Abbasi said most railway hospitals, except Rawalpindi Railway Hospital, were in poor condition and would be outsourced. He added that the Hazara Express had been upgraded and all major trains would be upgraded by December this year.
He said Pakistan Railways had become capable of exporting coaches and wagons and had made contacts with Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Chile under a business-to-business model. He added that the National Logistics Cell had planned to have four trains manufactured by the railways.
The minister said an ML-II project worth about 2.5 billion dollars would be developed with the cooperation of NLC and DP World, while a digitalisation agreement had been signed with the Frontier Works Organization to make every station smart and safe.
He said steps were being taken to curb theft and smuggling of fuel, adding that a major development project was being planned outside Lahore Railway Station with the support of the Punjab government.
Abbasi said railway crossings remained a major issue, with 1,875 locations lacking gates, adding that it was the responsibility of provincial governments. He said safari trains had been launched in Thar and more tourism initiatives would be introduced where feasible.
He added that welfare measures were being taken for guards, drivers and other staff, and provinces had been allowed to invest in railways after the passage of a relevant law. He also stressed that prisoners had the right to medical treatment in accordance with jail rules.