The company was ready to provide track facility to the private sector if it wants to run its own locomotives, says official.
ISLAMABAD:
Two more trains under public-private partnership will commence soon and the double track connecting Karachi and Lahore will be completed by March 2013, said an official of the Pakistan Railways.
The official said that not a single locomotive had been added to the national carrier’s fleet since 2008. He said that the company was ready to provide track facility to the private sector if it wants to run its own locomotives.
He said that the railways was heading towards revival swiftly as number of steps were taken to steer it into profitability. Fuel and utility bills were eating up a bigger portion of the government’s funding to railways. Since 1995 the fuel prices had registered 800% increase, while the national carrier increased fares for freight trains and passenger services by 105% and 70% respectively. The Railways presently has 100 locomotives to run its entire operation, including 200 passenger and freight coaches.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 10th, 2013.
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Pakistan railways with proprietory rail track, and engines with rolling stock. The rail track, the engine technologies are the highest fuel consuming, carrying very high maintenance, operating costs, which will lead to severe losses to the Government. The new high speed rail track with the high speed engines on Euro4 standards will attain a speed upto 300MPH and will reduce travel time almost 20% of what is being taken by railway
The economic efficiencies, noise level, vibration, shocks, for the travelling public will be travelling on the aircraft based on the investment on the iteriors, comforts.
Payback period and financing: The ADB has already funded railway project in Afghanistan, however Pakistan case will depend on the approach to a ADB with typical Railway approach.
The investment will pay back by high return model on freight for international transit cargo for Chna and Central Asia.