Last month the workshop overhauled 10 locomotives and an equal number of engines would be repaired this month, says Shah. PHOTO: FAHD PARACHA
Talking to APP on Friday, PR Divisional Superintendent Munawar Shah revealed that the workshop had completely overhauled 80 locomotives and repaired 37 engines from October 2011 to November 2012.
These engines have been handed over to different railway divisions, including Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Lahore, Multan, Sukkur, Quetta and Karachi.
Last month, he said, the workshop overhauled 10 locomotives and an equal number of engines would be repaired this month. The workshop is operating round the clock at full capacity and Shah expressed the hope that PR would soon become a profit-earning entity.
Replying to a question, Shah said PR would overcome its deficit soon and restore more train services on several routes as locomotives were being rehabilitated every month.
The government has approved a project titled ‘Special repair of 150 running locomotives’ under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) and PR is trying to overcome the shortage of engines in order to run more passenger and freight trains.
“Purchase of new locomotives is necessary for the revival of PR,” he said, but made it clear that no plan was under way to take locomotives on lease from India.
Shah disclosed that the PR administration was planning to launch more projects on the model of public-private partnership and few more services could be privatised.
He expressed the hope that PR would be able to earn Rs20 billion per annum by the end of the current fiscal year.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 5th, 2013.
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They should hire educated, preferably MBA graduates from reputable institution, give them attractive salary. Make them responsible for turning around the organization based on a Private entity. Privatize the Railway, and raise money thru Stock Exchange. Raise standard of service. Really like their idea of Public-Private partnership. Along the lines they can allocate the cost of depreciation of the machinery, and save that capital for replacement of engine parts and entire locomotive engines in the future, run it like a Business, then they will succeed. Do not run it like an orphanage, or a welfare institute with no care for proper running of the institution. Gone are the old days. The only businesses that survive are those that plan ahead of any problems and try to foresee what challenges lie ahead and turn them into an opportunity to take ample advantage of.