Pakistan Railways will be converted into a corporation within the next three months for which necessary spadework has already been done, said Federal Railways Minister Shamim Haider. Talking to newsmen here on Thursday, he said it would tie a state-run corporation and there would be no retrenchment after the corporatisation. He said Railways has not utilised over Rs 5 billion from total subsidy of Rs 12 billion it utilities every year to offset its losses.
Shamim Haider said efforts were being made to turn that state organ into a profitable enterprise that was why only essential and technical staff was being recruited, although some 10,000 posts were lying vacant in the department, he explained.
Observing that those were times one must learn to live within one's means, he said the ministry recently recruited just 250 technical staff on merit.
The minister informed dualisation of carriageway from Sher Shah to Khanewal has been completed, and it would now be extended to Raiwind at a cost of Rs 5.7 billion.
"Pakistan Railways is focusing on electrification as oil prices are going up internationally, rendering the locomotive railway system economically less feasible."
He disclosed maintenance of electric railway cost half of the trains run by diesel engines, while the former system was also more environment-friendly, he added.