Renovation of Multan station pledged: 13 locomotives to be received from China, says Railway minister

Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafiq expressed his dissatisfaction on sanitary conditions and water-supply situation at Multan Railway Station and said stern action would be taken against the erring officers. He said the building of Multan Railway Station would be renovated properly, adding that a modern restaurant and a shopping centre would be developed on the station to facilitate commuters.
Talking to media persons in Divisional Superintendent office, he said a new timetable of trains was being introduced as per requirement of the travelling public. He said 13/14 locomotives would be received from China and "we have cleared the cost of these locomotives and these would be tested during summer season. If these proved up to the local requirement then more locomotives would be purchased from China."
The Minister clarified that those locomotives were being procured from another well-reputed company, while "we have ended the agreement with previous firm and cancelled our order." The Minister said effective measures were being taken for the security and safety of passengers and a regular patrolling system was being revived in sensitive and troubled areas. He made it clear that the government was not privatising the Pakistan Railways and he was trying to reduce its losses.
The minister condemned the bomb blast on the railway track near Naseerabad, Balochistan, which derailed several bogeys of Jaffer Express. He said criminals who carried out the act were not human beings. He blamed foreign elements for subversive activities in Balochistan. The Minister was confident that the Railways department's losses would be reduced in four years and vowed to quit the ministry if he failed to deliver. He said an operation was underway to retrieve hundred of acres of illegally occupied Railways' land.
Khawaja said the government has prepared a comprehensive plan to make the railways a productive and profit-earning department. When he took over the ministry, he said, the railways had swallowed Rs 80 billion of other departments and the process continued at the rate of Rs 30bn a year. Some reforms introduced by him have led to a revenue increase of Rs 2.18bn over the past three months.
"I was told that out of order locomotives could not be repaired but we worked day and night and succeeded in bringing 25 locomotives on the track, and they are now being used to run freight trains," he said. The Minister directed railways officials to ensure security of passengers, keep an eye on dubious/shady elements and foil nefarious designs of terrorists. "CCTV cameras should remain functional at important places at railway stations," he said and warned that no 'security lapse' would be tolerated.