Daily Times

LAHORE: Pakistan Railways (PR) failed to start the project of “Islamabad-Muzaffarabad Branch Line”, which had been approved by the former Prime Minister (PM) Mian Nawaz Sharif in May 2014.

According to the sources, in May 2014 the former PM Mian Nawaz Sharif had approved the project of almost 128 kilometer long rail link between Islamabad and Muzaffarabad. For the execution of the project Government of Pakistan had also established a company “Kashmir Railways (KR) Ltd” and the company was responsible for the execution and PC-I of the project.

Sources added that in July 2014, a tender was floated for the feasibility study of the project and the federal government had also provided an amount of Rs. 2 billion as seed money. Later on, the feasibility report was jointly prepared by the members of the engineering department of PR and technical experts from China.

Daily Times learnt that the project could not be implemented due to an incompetent team and sluggishness in feasibility studies.

According to the sources this project would have gained international fame if it had been completed because it linked the capital with Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJK). Sources stated that the project could have been a mega attraction for the tourists and through tourism it would have generated funds for PR.

Sources further said that after the completion of feasibility report in 2016, the report was presented to the high officials and they suggested that Murree should also be connected in the new rail link.

Sources stated that later on, PR directed the KR to conduct another feasibility study for adding Murree in the project and the cost of this project had been increased from Rs .57 million to Rs. 130 million.

Sources revealed that in 2017, ILF Engineering, an Austrian Company, was working on the feasibility report for connecting AJK to the main railways. According to that study three station in Murree including Ghora Gali, Jheeka Gali and Bhurban were added to project and a 35 to 40 km long track was also added to connect Muzaffarabad to Dhudial.

Sources were of the view that this project was approved in 2014 and was highly appreciated in high level meetings presided over by the former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Sources stated that the project was also discussed in the Senate Standing Committee on Railways during one of its meetings in October 2014 where the members of the committee expressed their displeasure over the delay and execution of the project.

Sources added that the working process of railways was slow because the teams that were working on the project were only looking busy and doing nothing and no official possessed the right information regarding the project.

According to the sources, one official said that the feasibility study was going on but another official said that it had been completed since long.

Sources shared their distress over the delay and negligence of the PR towards a serious project and said that such attitude would not enable PR to achieve its milestones.

Ashfaq Khattak, who heads a special team for upgradation of ML-1 under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) told Daily Times that the study was in process but the new alignment which the government had suggested needed research because some data was missing.

“Delays were due to the change in route and scope of work due to that the PC-1 had to be revised. Once we finalize this it will be the decision of the government whether to start the project or not”, he said.

While talking to Daily Times Director General Public Relation Pakistan Railways Najam Wali Khan said, “The project was about linking Islamabad with Muzzafarabad, and these are new routes for which a lot of funds are needed, PR would not be able to work on the project unless the government funds it”

“We at PR have some priorities and first of all we are trying to ease up the passengers and regularize the ongoing system. We are trying to open up the closed sections so that business is generated,” added Wali Khan.

Najam added that the project of Islamabad to Muree and Muzzafarabad would only be completed if the government provided the required funds.

Published in Daily Times, June 19^th 2018.