Pakistan Railways has completed a project for dualization of track from Lodhran to Khanewal at a cost of Rs 3.298 billion to improve its track infrastructure.
Despite meagre financial resources, the Department was striving to keep the track fit for safe train operation and working on different projects, envisaged for improvement and modernisation of the system to bring it to the international standard.
A senior official while giving details of the projects on Sunday said dualization of track from Khanewal to Raiwind at a cost of Rs 12.617 billion is at advance stage and is expected to be completed by mid of this year.
The official said a project, costing Rs 9.405 billion for Rehabilitation of Track from Landhi (Karachi) to Kotri 290 km (double track) including 125 km Complete Track Renewal on Sangla Hill to Wazirabad, Khanewal to Shorkot and Hyderabad to Mirpur Khas, 622 km Deep Screening with replacement of defective sleepers and rails and replacement of 375 km sleepers is also in progress. This project is expected to be completed by end of June next year.
He said PC-I, costing Rs 9.446 billion for improvement and modernisation of track from Khanpur to Lodhran has been approved by ECNEC while projects for dualization of track from Shahdara to Lalamusa and Shahdara to Faisalabad at a cost of Rs 14.135 billion and Rs 5.314 billion have also been approved.
The official said a PC-I, amounting to Rs 17.094 billion for rehabilitation of track from Lahore to Lalamusa has since been submitted to the Planning Commission, to be funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). In fact Asian Development Bank has promised an investment of around US $500 million for rehabilitation of track from Lahore to Peshawar in three tranches.