LAHORE: The Pakistan Railways has issued tenders for replacing the entire railway track with new one across the country, said Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad here on Monday.
Addressing a press conference at Pakistan PR headquarters here on Monday.
He said that new speedy track would be laid and new railway sections would be developed with the old rails.
The minister said that three more countries, Turkey, Iran and South Korea, after China, had been included in the list of countries being connected through railway, as a network was being laid with completion of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). "We will also lay a railway network in the country so that a comprehensive benefit of the CPEC can be obtained," he added.
The minister said that a 700-kilometre Quetta-Tuftan (Iran) new track would be laid with minimum train speed of 160 km/hour and this track would be a standard gauge track so that a better connectivity with the world could be developed, adding that an Iranian Railways delegation was on a visit to the railway headquarters to finalise the agreement.
He hoped that during the upcoming visit of Prime Minister Imran Khan to China, an agreement about the ML-1 up-gradation would be signed.
He said that the prime minister would inaugurate new VIP non-stop train Jinnah Express from Lahore on March 30 at 2:45pm and later the train would start its journey from Lahore Cantt to Karachi at 3pm.
"Rs7,000 will be the fare for Jinnah Express, in which bedding and food will be provided to the passengers," he added.
The minister said that a railway link from Durgai to Noshehra and Karachi would be restored and he would himself go for monitoring trial run in the next week. "This link will facilitate the people of remote areas of Dir district," he added. The minister said that five out of 69 out of order locomotives would be repaired as pilot project at Rislapur locomotive factory.
Moreover, he said that tender would be issued for conversion of five locomotives on LNG (Liquified Natural Gas) as pilot project and after successful conversion, the railways would be able to save Rs9 billion in fuel as it was spending Rs 18 billion per year on fuel.
The minister said that a Diesel-Electrical Multiple Unit (DEMU) shuttle train would be introduced at Lahore-Faislabad, Multan-Sukkur, Karachi-Hyderabad and Rawalpindi-Peshawar sections to facilitate travellers.
He also announced a 30-minute cut in time duration between Lahore and Rawalpindi from April 15. He said that a special night train for deprived people would be introduced soon and it would stop at every small or un-operational railway station. He said that after the launch of Jinnah Express train, Sir Syed Express VIP train between Rawalpindi and Karachi would also be introduced.
Sh Rashid said that the PR had already introduced 20 trains and 20 more would launched soon while the number of freight trains had been increased from eight to 14.
"Four freight trains have been given to the private sector and the railways will only be responsible for provision of track to these trains," he added.
The minister said that a Research and Planning Cell had been established in the railways so that research work could be carried out for improvement in the department.
He said that railways earned Rs4 billion more revenue this year compared with the corresponding period of the last year.
He said that about 150,000 pensioners were getting pension from the department, which was a burden on the railways. That was why the department was delibrating on differrent solutions to the problem.
Railwsys Chief Executive Officer (CEO) M Aftab Akbar was also present.