According to a Ministry of Railways official, “of the total, approximately 46 Completely-Built-Up (CBU) passenger coaches have been procured up to this point while the remaining 184 would be manufactured in the country and the coaches would be able to travel at the speed of 160km/h.”
According to him, Pakistan Railways is working nonstop to finish rebuilding and repairing the railway track and to increase locomotive speed so that passengers may reach their destinations on schedule.
He said that other infrastructure under renovation included Main Line-I (ML-I), the track and signalling system from Karachi to Peshawar, and the doubling of the track from Lahore to Peshawar (462.20 km).
According to the source, the track was 1,726 kilometres long, and as part of the China-Pak Economic Corridor (CPEC) project, the department intends to upgrade ML-I to a speed of 160 km/h.
He stated that the department possessed a specialised fleet of 55 diesel-electric locomotives with 4000–4500 horsepower for freight operation to accommodate maximum haulage at greater speeds, while the rolling stock being acquired under this project would be able to travel at a speed of 160 km/h.
“To improve signalling and interlocking for higher speed and safety of train operation, the Computer Based Interlocking (CBI) system is installed on 48 stations of ML-I,” the spokesman continued.
The official said that because there were several welfare initiatives in place, including a vast network of hospitals, pharmacies, and child care centres, the staff members were given excellent care.
He noted that among these facilities were the supply of government housing based on eligibility and priority list, staff benevolence funds, rewards, and incentives offered to the families of departed employees under the Prime Minister’s Family Assistance Package programme.
Other facilities, according to him, included pick-and-drop services for offices and schools, water filtering plant installation, a special allocation of five medical seats in Riphah Islamic Universities with the support of the disabled employees’ families, benefits and incentives offered through policy for the families of disabled employees, and monthly grants to widows on a scale-wise basis.
