A worker polishes table of a compartment of the Green Line train in Karachi. PHOTO: EXPRESS
ISLAMABAD:
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Friday said fast-paced economic activity has started across the country and people are going to witness a revolutionary change in the years ahead.
Speaking at the launch of a modern ‘Green Line Train’ service that will chug between Islamabad and Karachi, he said it is a sign that the Pakistan Railways has turned around into an income generating organisation.
The prime minister also unveiled a plaque to launch the train that will cover the distance between Islamabad and Karachi in 23 hours and provide a number of facilities, including comfortable sleepers, WiFi, free meals and newspapers.
He noted that the railways was no more a lossmaking entity and had started generating income, adding that the organisation was creating history by launching a new service. “The railways generated Rs18 billion in 2012-13 and Rs23 billion in 2013-14. In the current year, it is likely to earn Rs28 billion which may go up to Rs31 billion,” he added.
The prime minister also appreciated railways workers, who, he said, made it a success. “Though a lot has been done, still there is much room for improvement,” he said.
Nawaz said the Green Line Train should be treated as an experimental project, adding that more such projects needed to be undertaken to make cheap, fast rail travel a reality.
He appreciated the fact that all passengers of the new train service would be insured to the tune of Rs1 million and hoped the organisation would continue to come up with more facilities for its passengers.
The prime minister expressed the hope that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor would benefit from improvement in the Pakistan Railways, which would have a service from Kashgar to Karachi. “The time is not far when the Pakistan Railways will have a train service to Turkey,” he added.
He also lauded the services of Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafique for turning around the organisation, which according to him, was on the brink of collapse. He also praised him for recovering over 3,000 acres of railways property worth Rs10 billion from the land mafia.
Khawaja Saad Rafique, in his speech, highlighted the success story of the organisation and said he was looking forward to making the railways a modern service. “In a major improvement the railways now has a stock of fuel for at least 2-3 weeks and measures are afoot to improve it further,” he said.
The minister regretted the trend of politics of agitation in the country and said no sit-ins, protests and baseless accusations could deter the current leadership of the country from embarking on development projects.
Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid, Science and Technology Minister Anusha Rehman, State Minister for Petroleum Jam Kamal Khan, parliamentarians and the PR officials were also present at the ceremony.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 16th, 2015.
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