Some 340 engines are lying idle in a country that needs 500 locomotives. PHOTO: FILE
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan Railways is currently falling 70 percent short of the requirement of locomotives.
While the total required strength is of 500 engines, some 340 engines are lying out of order in Railway workshops that have turned into veritable graveyards of faulty locomotives.
Only 160 engines are in working condition. While most of these out-of-order engines are made in the US or Europe, they include 69 Chinese engines purchased in the recent past, which are fully or partially damaged. As the Chinese were new in the engine manufacturing industry at the time engines were purchased from them, it caused a colossal loss of about Rs27 billion to the public purse.
These defunct engines are not just a hindrance to a much-needed revamping of Pakistan Railway, but are also cause of a huge monetary loss of over Rs 100 billion to the national exchequer. According to sources that wished to stay anonymous, a single locomotive costs Rs300 to Rs400 million.
With the induction of 55 locomotives as a result of efforts of the previous PPP-led government, the strength reached 200 engines, but 300 more are needed, sources observed.
Reliable sources in the Pakistan Railway informed The Express Investigation Cell that the tragic decline of Pakistan Railways began soon after the atomic explosions by the PML-N led government, as the US government imposed sanctions on Pakistan government for all kinds of assistance and provision of equipment. The sanctions proved disastrous for Pakistan’s rail transport services.
As a coping strategy, Railway authorities devised a system of replacing and changing parts of faulty engines with each other. But this strategy was short-term, resulting in the closure of passengers and goods trains on many rail routes gradually.
The Railways suffered another setback when 40 locomotives were burnt during attacks on trains, particularly in Sindh, in the aftermath of Benazir Bhutto’s assassination. Because of this, Railways incurred a further loss of Rs16 billion.
Talking to The Express Tribune, Secretary Railways Board, Aftab Akbar Malik, admitted that Pakistan Railways was facing a crisis pertaining to engines.
However, now Railways has been put on the right track and direction since 2008 to overcome the deficiency of engines, he claimed, adding that 75 engines would be inducted in the railway system within the next two years. Moreover, two projects of engine repair have been launched at the Mughalpura railway workshop Lahore and the Central Diesel Locomotive (CDL) workshop in Rawalpindi, under which 27 out of order engines would be repaired within a year.
According to Malik, technology of newly purchased engines was upgraded and fully automated, which is why railway drivers are being trained through Chinese technicians under an agreement.
Malik complained that the ratio of provision of funds for the development of highways is three times higher than that of railways.
However, he shared that Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique is very committed to improving the current situation.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 30th, 2014.
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The Railways suffered another setback when 40 locomotives were burnt during attacks on trains, particularly in Sindh, in the aftermath of Benazir Bhutto’s assassination. Because of this, Railways incurred a further loss of Rs16 billion.
The stupidity prevalent in Pakistan never fails to amaze me. Can we bill the PPP for the damage? Perhaps raiding Zardari's Swiss bank accounts, or taking possession of his mansions and chateaus in the UK and France to pay back these losses should be considered.