ISLAMABAD: During a Senate committee meeting on railways chaired by Senator Jam Sadiq Khan, the Secretary of Railways disclosed that 67% of Pakistan Railways’ tracks are beyond their operational lifespan.
This revelation came amid discussions on the state of the national railway infrastructure.
Further, the Secretary unveiled that the design of the Main Line 1 (ML-1) project had been modified due to the impact of recent floods, leading to a revised Project Cost-1 (PC-1) that estimates the project’s total cost at approximately $6 billion, a reduction from the initial $9 billion.
This redesign, despite significant changes, raised concerns among committee members, including Senator Kamil Ali Agha, who questioned the unchanged cost and expressed worries about potential compromises and the risks associated with the loans from China.
The Secretary reassured the committee that there has been no compromise on the security and management of ML-1 and highlighted the project’s financial sustainability.
Additionally, the committee received updates on a corruption investigation involving 10 employees in Karachi, which has been inexplicably halted, sparking surprise and concern among the members.
