ISLAMABAD: In line with the government’s vision 2025 for infrastructure development during the next ten years, Pakistan Railways is to undertake necessary steps to increase its share in the overall transport sector of the country from four percent to 20 percent.
Ministry of Railways is in the process of preparing Railway Strategic Plan (RSP) to operationalise the targets set in the vision which would provide a long term frame work for Railway sector development, official sources in the Ministry of Railways told APP. They said that ministry is taking new initiatives to improve performance of Pakistan Railways and achieve tangible results included improve availability of locomotives through special repair of existing locomotives and procurement of new locomotives.
“A comprehensive policy for disposal of surplus scrap has been introduced with the aim to improve financial through an open, fair and transparent process,” they added.
To a question, they said that economic corridor development and regional connectivity are important initiatives, which are expected to play vital role in national economic growth. They said that up-gradation of Mainline-1, transport and communications (ML1) and construction of dry port and cargo handling facility have been included, as Early Harvest Projects (EHP) under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and preparatory work on these projects has been initiated on fast track basis. Up-gradation of ML-II, ML-III and establishing new lines for linking Gwadar, Khunjrab has also been planned. Up-gradation of ML-III Quetta-Taftan Railway line is an important section of railway network in the context of regional connectivity with Europe through Iran and Turkey and tapping the mineral potential of Balochistan province of Pakistan, they added.
They said that Pakistan Railways has production facilities for assembling of locomotives and carriages at Risalpur and Islamabad, respectively.
To run these facilities on modern lines the Ministry is seeking investment through various options. Various options for joint ventures can be explored in this area, they added. They said a project for computerisation of Railway land record has been initiated in order to harmonize the Railway land record with the record of all the provincial revenue departments.
