LAHORE: Federal Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafique said on Saturday that construction of Raiwind railway station would not only facilitate those coming for annual religious congregation here but also people at large.
Addressing the ground-breaking ceremony of the Raiwind Railway here, he said that three-and-a-half years back railways was in very poor condition, but now with the grace of Allah Almighty the department was improving.
He said that better facilities would be ensured at Raiwind railway station including a reservation office.
The minister said that after the completion of ML-1 within five to six years, trains would run at the speed of 160 KM/hour, which would help cover Lahore-Karachi distance in almost 10 hours.
Saad Rafique also announced stoppage of business train at the Raiwind station.
E-ticketing had been introduced, pension payment had been automated, 90 per cent computerization of railway land had been completed, 80 per cent punctuality of railway trains besides many others were some achievements of the railways, he added.
The federal minister said that honest and hard-working officers were working on key posts in railways and with their collective efforts railways deficit had reduced from Rs 32 billion to 27 billion.
He further said that with the passage of time the condition of all trains would improve and added that criticism was good but positive steps should also be appreciated.
He said that unfortunately human errors resulted in accidents and no system error was found during investigations, adding that training standards were being improved to avoid human errors.
Saad Rafique said that a model on Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) basis was being found so that private companies could construct underpasses at busiest unmanned level crossings.
He said that railway office was being constructed in Gwadar also, and efforts were being made to buy land for railway tracks as well.
The minister said that railway station was being constructed in Sibbi and Harnai, adding that Kohat railway station was also being improved and work for betterment and promotion of railways was being carried out across-the-country.
The Economy Class would be converted into standard AC, which would take five to seven years, he said and added that 15 years were required to bring about improvement in the department.
Saad Rafique said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) wasted its own time and PML-N's as well, adding that if the PTI would have worked for welfare of the people of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, it could have won the trust of people.
He said that the change would only come through vote and people would elect those who had fulfilled their promises made during the 2013 general elections.
Railways Chief Executive Officer Javed Anawar said on the occasion that the project would be completed by February 2018 at a cost of about Rs 135 million.
Earlier, Kh Saad Rafique and religious leader Maulana Tariq Jameel performed the ground-breaking ceremony of the Raiwind railway station.
Maulana Tariq Jameel, speaking on the occasion, said that in the presence of truth and justice, no department, individual and society could face downfall.
"Honesty is an essential element to bring about improvement in any area of life and Islam also gives a message not to cheat anyone," he added.
MNA Muhamamd Afzal Kokhar and MPA Chaudhry Gulzar also spoke on the occasion.
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