Pakistan Railways is planning to purchase 230 passenger coaches and 820 Capacity Waggons as part of the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP), with the goal of increasing train speed and adhering to fixed schedules.
“Around 46 Completely-Built-Up (CBU) passenger coaches have been procured so far, while the remaining 184 will be manufactured in the country and the couches will be able to travel at a speed of 160km/h,” stated a Ministry of Railways official.
“Pakistan Railways is making every effort to complete rehabilitation and reconstruction work on the railway track, as well as improve locomotive speed to get passengers to their destinations on time,” he added.
He further stated that the infrastructure, including the track and signalling system from Karachi to Peshawar, the Main Line-I (ML-I), and the doubling of track from Lahore to Peshawar (462.20 km), was being upgraded.
According to the source, the track’s length is 1,726 kilometers, and the department plans to increase the speed to 160 kilometers per hour as part of the ML-I upgrade project under the China-Pak Economic Corridor (CPEC).
He stated that the rolling equipment purchased under this project would be capable of running at a speed of 160 km/h, whilst the department possessed a dedicated fleet of 55 diesel-electric locomotives with 4000-4500 HP for freight operations to accommodate for maximum hauling at greater speeds.
“The Computer Based Interlocking (CBI) system is installed on 48 ML-I stations to improve signaling and interlocking for higher train speed and safety,” the spokesman stated.
In response to a question, he stated that Pakistan Railways was a large organisation with over 63,000 personnel and a network that stretched across the country.
According to the official, the personnel were well cared for because of a variety of welfare activities, including healthcare facilities provided by an extensive network of hospitals, dispensaries, and child healthcare units.
He stated that these facilities included the supply of government housing based on entitlement and priority list, staff benevolence funds, benefits, and incentives provided through the Prime Minister’s Family Assistance Package policy for deceased employees’ families.
Other facilities included benefits and incentives provided through policy for disabled employees’ families, monthly grants to widows on a sliding scale, the establishment of primary and secondary schools, industrial schools to teach handicrafts, sports activities, pick and drop facility for schools/offices, the installation of water filter plants, and a special provision of five medical seats in Riphah Islamic Universities with a 50% reduction in admission and tuition.
