Daily Times

Inaugurating the high-speed Rahman Baba Express train between Peshawar-Karachi on Sunday, Railways Minister Sheikh Rasheed said that corrupt elements would be sent behind bars.

Talking to newsmen at the inauguration of the latest rail service, the minister said, “The Rahman Baba Express is a gift from Prime Minister Imran Khan to the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.”

The train, with 10 economy-class coaches and a brake van, will run between the cities with a total journey time of 26 hours and fare of Rs 1,350. It would pass through various cities including Nowshera, Attock, Rawalpindi, Wazirabad, Faisalabad, Toba Tek Singh, Multan, Bahawalpur, Rahim Yar Khan, Rohri, Nawabshah, Hyderabad and Landhi.

During the inauguration ceremony, the minister announced that passengers traveling on Sunday via Rahman Baba Express would pay half ticket.

He held out assurances that the entire rail track from Peshawar to Karachi would be upgraded, enabling passengers to cover the distance between Karachi and Peshawar within eight hours.

Three trains would be launched for safari tourism, he said, adding that people voted in favour of PM Imran Khan so that corrupt elements could be jailed.

He directed the officials concerned to remove all encroachments from rail tracks, saying that railways in past had to face losses because of commission mafia.

He said that economy would be strengthened if the trains run without hindrance. The Railways Department recently launched nine trains such as Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai Express, Sindh Express, Lahore-Faisalabad Non Stop, Mianwali Railcar, Rawalpindi Express, Mohenjo-daro Express, Rohi Express and Dhabeji Express.

In October this year, addressing a news conference in Lahore, the minister had said that railways had earned Rs 1.1 billion more revenue in the freight sector during the last two months, as compared to the same period of the previous year.

He had said that the department would earn revenue of Rs 10 billion due to untiring efforts of its officers and employees.

He had asked the administration of Karachi Stock Exchange and others who were using the land owned by Pakistan Railways worth billions of rupees, to immediately vacate the land.

He had pledged that tracking devices on modern system would be installed at all locomotives of railways to estimate the fuel consumption and its report would also be uploaded at Internet for people, he added.

Published in Daily Times, December 24^th 2018.