ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique has said that after swapping oil of power generation plants with coal, the total infrastructure of Pakistan Railways (PR) will also need to be upgraded to transport coal to these plants and this rehabilitation of infrastructure upgradation will cost Rs123 billion rupees and minimum three year span of time.
During a cabinet meeting, he said that 63 locomotives and 3,065 wagons would be needed to transport coal to the power plants. He said that Pakistan Railways was establishing a freight coal company to ship fuel to four coal-based power plants in Jamshoro, Rahim Yar Khan, Muzaffargarh and Sahiwal.
Saad Rafique said that Railways would build about 107km-long new rail link between Islamabad, Murree and Muzaffarabad and Rs59.92 million and six-month time would be needed for the feasibility report of this project. Moreover, he said that the PR would also establish a rail link with China under the Early Harvest Programme and set up a dry port at Havelian.
Rafique said various measures were being taken to generate revenue from passenger and freight services. Steps have also been taken to start running again container trains for dry ports and inland container terminals, cargo train between Karachi and Lahore and enter into long-term business agreements with Pakistan State Oil, Maple Leaf Cement, National Logistics Cell (NLC) and others.
