Trains to chug again between Sibi, Harnai by June

Stretch became dysfunctional after a series of bomb blasts

ISLAMABAD:

Pakistan Railways is putting maximum effort to complete the reconstruction and renovation work on the strategic Sibi-Harnai railway track with the assistance of the National Logistics Cell (NLC) and hopefully, it will be operational by June this year.

“The railway track was made dysfunctional after a series of bomb blasts which damaged as many as 22 steel bridges in the highly rugged and inaccessible area,” an official in the Ministry of Railways told APP.

He said that the track was badly damaged in 2006 and so far about 97 percent of the reconstruction work of the project was completed and the remaining work would be completed soon.

The official said that Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafique had also taken a keen interest in the projects and directed the concerned official to complete the project at the earliest.

In March 2016, he said, a contract for rehabilitation and restoration of the Sibbi-Harnai railway track along with the up-gradation of railway stations was awarded to the NLC as no other construction firm agreed to undertake the project due to the prevalent security situation and enormity of the task.

During the initial survey of the track, the official said that it was found that 22 steel bridges of different sizes were completely destroyed and required replacement.

He said that in addition to this, massive river protection work was to be undertaken to save the infrastructure.

The quantum of work, non-availability of road access, and requisite resources made the project a formidable challenge, he added.

The official said that undertaking the project with the sincerity of purpose and utmost sense of duty, NLC officers, engineers, and construction workers braved harsh weather conditions and a hostile security environment and subsequently completed 97 percent of the rehabilitation works in record time.

The major task was the fabrication of steel bridges, and they were fabricated in Karachi and were transported all the way to the project site after being painstakingly assembled by NLC engineers in a befitting manner, he added.

He further said a total of nine railway stations along with tracks had been upgraded by NLC engineers, including the reconstruction of Harnai Railway Station and a complete renovation of Sibi Railways Station, which could be regarded as the finest railway station in Balochistan.