First batch: Railways looks to get back on track with 7 new US locomotives
48 more engines are expected to arrive by mid-year, which will enhance efficiency
The locomotives will be used for transporting imported coal from Karachi’s Port Qasim to the Sahiwal Power Plant in Punjab and the Jamshoro Power Plant in Sindh. PHOTO: APP
ISLAMABAD:
A consignment of seven new modern locomotives has reached Karachi from the United States to reinforce the existing fleet of Pakistan Railways (PR).
“Pakistan will receive a total of 55 locomotives in different phases from the US. The remaining 48 are expected to be handed over to the Pakistan Railways by June this year,” an official in the Ministry of Railways told APP on Monday.
Each locomotive costs Rs570 million, totalling Rs3.99 billion for the seven engines.
Commenting on the specification of engines, ministry officials said these were 4,000 horsepower diesel locomotives of General Electric. The 137-tonne six-axle locomotives are designed for a maximum speed of 120 km per hour and are expected to be more fuel efficient and have longer maintenance intervals than the current fleet.
The locomotives will help cope with harsh operating conditions in Pakistan with additional cooling capacity and an air-conditioned cab suitable for bidirectional operation.
This, according to the officials, is the first-ever consignment of evolution series locomotives for any destination in South Asia, which Pakistan has received.
According to the contract, they said, US-based Corys Electric Company had to supply a full-scope simulator for driver training.
The locomotives will be used for transporting imported coal from Karachi’s Port Qasim to the Sahiwal Power Plant in Punjab and the Jamshoro Power Plant in Sindh.
In 2015, the Pakistan Railways had signed an agreement with the US for the provision of 55 diesel locomotives of General Electric, of which 40 would be used to haul imported coal from Karachi to the Sahiwal and Jamshoro power stations and 15 for general freight services.
The purchase of new locomotives is part of efforts to turn fortunes at the ailing rail company and give a boost to its passenger and freight revenues. In financial year 2015-16, PR losses crossed a staggering Rs28 billion, increasing around 12.64% from the previous year.
It managed to earn Rs35.97 billion during the year, an increase of 12.6% from earnings of Rs31.92 billion in the previous year. However, expenses surged to Rs64.23 billion compared to Rs57.03 billion in 2014-15, meaning a deficit of Rs28.3 billion, according to PR documents sent to the Ministry of Railways.
PR has had a rough ride for many years as the company has been plagued by lack of punctuality by trains, deadly accidents and old locomotives many of which were taken out of service for repair work.
In the most recent incident, a train crushed a car at an unmanned railway crossing in the Toba Tek Singh district, killing six people.
To revive the company, PR is also encouraging the private sector to enter into public-private partnerships. However, a public-private venture that brought Pak Business Express on track for the Lahore-Karachi service could not last long after a payment dispute between the two sides.
(with additional reporting by our karachi correspondent)
Published in The Express Tribune, January 24th, 2017.
A consignment of seven new modern locomotives has reached Karachi from the United States to reinforce the existing fleet of Pakistan Railways (PR).
“Pakistan will receive a total of 55 locomotives in different phases from the US. The remaining 48 are expected to be handed over to the Pakistan Railways by June this year,” an official in the Ministry of Railways told APP on Monday.
Each locomotive costs Rs570 million, totalling Rs3.99 billion for the seven engines.
Commenting on the specification of engines, ministry officials said these were 4,000 horsepower diesel locomotives of General Electric. The 137-tonne six-axle locomotives are designed for a maximum speed of 120 km per hour and are expected to be more fuel efficient and have longer maintenance intervals than the current fleet.
The locomotives will help cope with harsh operating conditions in Pakistan with additional cooling capacity and an air-conditioned cab suitable for bidirectional operation.
This, according to the officials, is the first-ever consignment of evolution series locomotives for any destination in South Asia, which Pakistan has received.
According to the contract, they said, US-based Corys Electric Company had to supply a full-scope simulator for driver training.
The locomotives will be used for transporting imported coal from Karachi’s Port Qasim to the Sahiwal Power Plant in Punjab and the Jamshoro Power Plant in Sindh.
In 2015, the Pakistan Railways had signed an agreement with the US for the provision of 55 diesel locomotives of General Electric, of which 40 would be used to haul imported coal from Karachi to the Sahiwal and Jamshoro power stations and 15 for general freight services.
The purchase of new locomotives is part of efforts to turn fortunes at the ailing rail company and give a boost to its passenger and freight revenues. In financial year 2015-16, PR losses crossed a staggering Rs28 billion, increasing around 12.64% from the previous year.
It managed to earn Rs35.97 billion during the year, an increase of 12.6% from earnings of Rs31.92 billion in the previous year. However, expenses surged to Rs64.23 billion compared to Rs57.03 billion in 2014-15, meaning a deficit of Rs28.3 billion, according to PR documents sent to the Ministry of Railways.
PR has had a rough ride for many years as the company has been plagued by lack of punctuality by trains, deadly accidents and old locomotives many of which were taken out of service for repair work.
In the most recent incident, a train crushed a car at an unmanned railway crossing in the Toba Tek Singh district, killing six people.
To revive the company, PR is also encouraging the private sector to enter into public-private partnerships. However, a public-private venture that brought Pak Business Express on track for the Lahore-Karachi service could not last long after a payment dispute between the two sides.
(with additional reporting by our karachi correspondent)
Published in The Express Tribune, January 24th, 2017.