FAISALABAD: Railways Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad said on Tuesday that 20more VIP passenger trains would hit the rails soon.
“A tendering process is being initiated to upgrade 1,680km-long track ofML-2 and ML-4 in addition to dualization of the Faisalabad-Lahore andSialkot tracks,” he announced while addressing the business community atthe Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FCCI).
Rasheed said that the previous rulers had pushed the economy to the vergeof collapse. “The present government had put the country in the rightdirection but it had to take bold and difficult decisions,” he continued.
The minister said FCCI was the first platform that had realised theimportance of economic stability and had appreciated the decisions taken byPrime Minister Imran Khan and Finance Minister Asad Umar with regard toeconomic upliftment.
He lamented that the former rulers had spent $2 billion to launch 27km-longorange line train. “With the same amount, I could have laid a new trackacross Pakistan.”
Regarding the financial affairs of Railway, he said that Rs35 billion wererequired to pay pensions, Rs31 billion for salaries, Rs18 billion for oiland Rs25 billion to pay the loan installments.
“We have to repair the old and abandoned bogies to start 20 new trains. Nowwe are planning to launch yet another 20 new VIP and high-speed passengertrains,” he maintained.
He said that Pakistan Railway could start trains with a speed of 160km perhour after the completion of ML-1, adding that the speed of these trainscould be enhanced up to 260km per hour in later phases. “Travel timebetween Lahore-Karachi would be reduced to 6-7 hours only.”
The minister noted that all over the world, passenger trains were not runfor income generation but freight trains were meant to generate profits.“Pakistan is the only country where we are earning a handsome profit of Rs2billion from the passenger trains,” he added.
He informed that Mohenjo-Daro Train was running successfully with anoccupancy of 160 per cent, while the occupancy of Rehman Baba Train was 150per cent.
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“A new VIP ‘Jinnah Train’ would be launched between Lahore and Karachi fromMarch 23. We are also planning to start ‘Sir Syed Train’ which could runbetween Faisalabad and Karachi,” he added.
Rasheed assured of starting more trains from Faisalabad and said that localinvestors could start these trains by paying the advance fare of 10 daysonly.
The minister said the private sector could also run trains by paying areasonable rent for the track to Pakistan Railways, adding that two privatetrains had recently been started from Lahore and such trains could also belaunched from Faisalabad on the same terms and conditions.
He assured of resolving the problems being confronted by the Faisalabad DryPort (FDP) authorities.
Responding to a question, he said the Pakistan Railways was planning tostart an online booking system to redress the alleged misappropriation inthe booking of passenger trains.
Earlier, a one-minute silence was observed to pay tribute to Kashmirimartyrs in connection with the Kashmir Solidarity Day.
The meeting was also addressed by former minister and FDP Chairman ChaudhryMushtaq Ali Cheema.
