Making upgrades: ‘Railways to focus on coal-powered engines’

GM says performance of railways has improved.

MULTAN: Pakistan Railways General Manager Anjum Pervaiz on Wednesday said that PR was able to reduce its deficit for the first time in 40 years and had earned Rs5 billion revenue in the fiscal year 2013-14.

He said the numbers showed a marked improvement in revenue collection.

He was talking to journalists at the Multan Cantonment railway station after opening a renovated reservation office.

The PR official said 2013 was a difficult year for railways but the policies adopted by the government had helped the department earn Rs5 billion though it had set itself a target of Rs2.5 billion.

Pervaiz said Rs40 billion had been allocated for railways for the fiscal year 2014-15. He said 60 new engines would join the PR fleet by December and tenders were being issued to acquire another 75 new engines and the emphasis was on coal-powered engines.

He said that 50 of the new engines would have 4,500 horse power capacity and would be powered by coal. He said these were more powerful than the current 3000 HP engines that the PR had. He said Pakistan Railways would have better facilities by August.

He added passengers would have better travelling facilities in 2014 when new engines would be acquired.

He said a train from Hyderabad to Mirpur Khas would soon be operation and later, a night train would launch on the Multan-Lahore route.

Pervaiz said the government had turned around the PR in a year. He said the department should not be privatised.

He said Railways Minister Saad Rafique was taking steps to resolve problems of the railway employees by the end of this year.

He said arrears would be paid to employees and new quarters would be built to provide them residential accommodation.

He said a sum of Rs180 million had been allocated for Multan division of the railways.

He said the PR would repair its main line from Karachi to Peshawar as part of initiatives for Pak-China Economic Corridor. He said work on it was expected to begin in March next year.

Pervaiz said MoUs had been signed for Pak-China Economic Corridor and a sum of Rs 380 billion would be spent with major focus on improving communications infrastructure. 

Published in The Express Tribune, June 12^th, 2014.