Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Thursday directed the Pakistan Railways to modernise the railway stations with better services for the citizens. Chairing a high level meeting on Pakistan Railways held at the PM House, he appreciated ministry's focus on improving governance, based on rules and regulations, merit-oriented Human Resource Policy and ensuring transparency.
The meeting was attended by Federal Minister for Railways, Khawaja Saad Rafique, Federal Minister for Planning, Ahsan Iqbal, Chief Minister Punjab, Shahbaz Sharif and senior government officers. The PM was apprised about the functioning of the Railways, its history, present status and future direction.
During the briefing, the Prime Minister was informed that present administration of Pakistan Railways is focused on the core business of transportation of goods and people. He was apprised that the target to generate Rs 4.5 billion additional revenue was achieved this year.
It was decided to reconstitute Railway's Board with better representation from the private sector. The PP was informed that work on Karachi Circular Railway will be initiated soon. The meeting was further informed that work has been started on refurbishing and branding of railway stations and Pakistan Railways is expected to generate substantial revenue from this activity. The Prime Minister was informed that Request for Proposals regarding feasibility study of Islamabad-Murree-Muzaffarabad railway link, would be floated by mid April this year.