Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government will procure as many as 75 locomotives at an estimated cost of Rs 46.8 billion including foreign exchange component from China in the next three years, it is learnt. According to sources, the new locomotives would be equipped with environmental-friendly engines and electronic fuel injector system to provide reliable and cost effective service.
The locomotives would be used for heavy load and long haul to freight traffic along with high bogie wagons fitted with airbrakes and roller bearings for design speed of 100-kilometre per hour for freight trains. The major system both in AC-AC and AC-DC locos shall be identical.
The scope of the project includes transfer of technology, upgradation of available skills through training of staff and a fraction of upgradation of infrastructure and maintenance facilities for AC-AC traction motors, EFI system, material handling equipment, laboratory testing equipment in Central Diesel Locomotives Shops, Rawalpindi and Diesel shops Karachi Cantt.
The sources said that Pakistan Railways currently owns 432 diesel electric locomotives, out of which 239 diesel electric locomotives have outlived their normal economical life of 20 years by June 2014. These locomotives require replacement due to age-cum-performance factors and will be uneconomical to future operations as their life will be no more than 35 years. With the induction of proposed 75 new locomotives availability and reliability of locomotives fleet would be improved, ineffective percentage would be reduced, thereby increasing the productivity of Pakistan Railways.
They said that locomotives will also be used to haul freight traffic along with high capacity bogie wagons fitted with air brakes and roller bearings. The federal government has budgeted Rs 4.6 billion in the current fiscal year under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) in which Rs 2.011 billion has been released so far. The procurement of locomotives would be completed in 36 months.