LAHORE: Pakistan Railways is poised for a significant upgrade, with CEO Aamir Ali Baloch announced a series of improvements and an ambitious revenue target during a recent e-Kachehri session.
The session, which garnered over 15,000 views and 6,000 comments, showcased the CEO’s responsiveness to public concerns and provided insight into future plan to improve railways service delivery.
Bolan Bridge Completion and Jafar Express Resumption
During the live session, PR CEO Baloch revealed that the Jafar Express would resume service from October 11th as restoration of Bolan Railway Bridge, which was destroyed by terrorists, has been completed and has undergone successful trials.
Revenue Target and Freight Growth
The railways CEO said that building on last year’s record earnings, the government has set the ambitious revenue target of Rs109 billion for this year. “This ambitious goal is supported by the freight sector’s strong performance, with 8 million tons of goods delivered last year, demonstrating significant business community confidence. Further increases in freight revenue are projected for this year”, he detailed.
Talking about technological upgrades, Mr Baloch said that all trains are be gradually transitioned to the Connect app, reflecting Pakistan Railways’ commitment to modernization. “The SAP system will remain in place, which, in fact reinforces the railways adoption of best practices in automation”, he pointed out.
Service Enhancements
The railways CEO said that the Green Line was very much appreciated by the passengers, two more trains will be upgraded on the lines of the Green Line by February. He claimed that the Rahman Baba Express attains full-seat occupancy even before reaching Nowshera, says the route of such a popular train cannot be changed.
Mr Baloch revealed that funding has been secured (PC-1 approval) for the restoration of the Bahawalnagar-Sammasatta section, with plans to restore the DG Khan section as resources allow.
He described the proposal as feasible for registering complaints through WhatsApp and directed the concerned officers to explore its feasibility.
Aamir Baloch took strong notice of the complaint of encroachment near the Mehrabpur Phattak and directed the immediate removal of the encroachment. He also issued orders to the concerned DS to take immediate action on the absence of water at Sialkot station.
Public-Private Partnerships
Sharing future plan on public-private partnerships (PPP), the PR CEO emphasized that trains that would be introduced under PPP mode would feature enhanced hygiene, high-quality food, Wi-Fi, and security cameras.
He said that in response to public feedback, Awam Express will resume its stop at Chaklala station and Dor Railway Station would undergo immediate cleaning. To a question, he declared that there would be no disruption in railway operations during the work ML-1 project.
Stopover at Sammasatta
Meanwhile for the convenience of the public, the railway administration has allowed the newly-restored Jaffar Express (39Up, 40Dn) running between Quetta-Peshawar-Quetta and Rehman Baba Express (47Up, 48Dn) running between Karachi Cantt-Peshawar Cantt-Karachi Cantt to stop at Sammasatta railway station for two minutes each.
Initially, the PR administration has announced this facility on a temporary basis for three months and the decision will come into effect immediately.
