Daily Times

RAWALPINDI: Minister for Railways Sheikh Rashid Ahmed on Thursday vowed that he would improve train services, saying that he had challenged himself to finish off the losses facing the department.

The Awami Muslim League (AML) chief, who is now part of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s cabinet, said that they have inherited a debt-ridden organisations and it was their responsibility to improve them.

“I have inherited Rs 35-40 billion debt and I have been told that everything is fine, but the reality is different,” he said. “I accept the challenge to reduce the losses.”

The minister said it was unfortunate that the majority of the National Accountability Bureau’s cases were against the railways.

Sheikh Rashid said people wanted a comfortable train travel, and he would not rest and work tirelessly to improve the affairs of the railways. “I promise that railways will be improved.

Highlighting the gravity of the situation, he said that the annual expenditure were around Rs 9 billion.

He said that they would utilise the abundant land resources of the railways as they did not have financial means, and were even willing to rent out railway platforms for commercial activities.

He added that 31 railways stations were being upgraded and apartments would be constructed for lower-grade employees. “I want to run the train in the areas where there are no roads,” he stated.

He said that only profitable trains would be reinstated, adding that he would run new train services from Karachi to Sukkur, Rawalpindi, Lahore and Mianwali.

He further said that the matter of encroachment of railways properties would be taken up at the meeting of the federal cabinet, and that encroachers should pay the price to the authorities.

Rashid said that there would be no political victimisation, and he would not remove anyone from their position.

He said that stations, plazas and food streets would be set up through private partnership, allowing them to invest for over 20 years, but the ownership would remain with the railways.

He added that the previous government purchased locomotives from a United States company at a much higher price.

He said that many overseas Pakistanis were interested in investing and had even offered to bring bullet trains, but he told them that it was a very expensive project and they should fix their trains first.

Published in Daily Times, August 25^th 2018.