KARACHI, Aug 3: The Pakistan Railways, at present suffering an annual operational loss of Rs2 billion, will go break-even by the end of current fiscal.
This was stated by Pakistan Railways Chairman Asif Hayat while talking to newsmen after a meeting with senior officials of the railway at Karachi Division Headquarters on Tuesday.
He told the newsmen that the meeting reviewed the overall performance of railway in different sectors - mainly freight and passenger traffic. About generating more revenue, he said that the railway was considering various proposals for utilization of its land on commercial or long lease basis.
He said that he had also asked all the divisional superintendents to find out old stations where railway museums on the pattern of Golra Sharif could be established.
Besides, he said that he would concentrate more on freight traffic to generate more revenue, as the passenger service was a public-service where it was difficult to raise fares in view of limited paying capacity of travellers.
He said: "Karachi is a big industrial city and bulk of freight arrives and moves out from here, today's meeting discussed ways and means how to increase the revenues on freight side."
During the last fiscal, he said that the total earning of Pakistan Railways was Rs14.5 billion including Rs4.3 billion contribution from the freight revenue. For the current fiscal, he said, the railway had set a target of Rs16.1 billion as total revenue, including Rs5 billion to be generated from freight side.
Asif Hayat said that Pakistan Railways was meeting a liability of Rs3.6 billion on account of pension and if there had not been this liability, the railway would have gone break even.
At present, he added, the railway was having a deficit of Rs2.9 billion. To reach the break-even stage, he outlined certain measures including control on expenditures, restructuring of posts, careful spending on purchases, spares and maintenance in order to bring the operational cost at appropriate level.
He said that government had provided Rs9 billion to the railway for development of infrastructure while the railway had requested for Rs13 billion. He expressed hope that the railway may get the remaining four billion rupees.
He said that Pakistan Railways had unlimited capacity to carry any amount of freight. However, train haulage was a bulk haulage for which emphasis was being laid on bulk freight. In this regard, he added that contracts had been made with oil companies.
The chairman said that the railway was also contemplating to appoint freight forwarders for provision of better facilities of freight lifting and delivery. Additional General Manager Freight Khawaja Nazir Ahmed informed the newsmen that the railway was transporting vegetable oil, coal, oil seed in bulk at present. The task of transporting imported wheat in bulk was also expected by September, he added.
He explained that many industrial units had been switched to gas or coal operation, which had affected the import of furnace oil. The railway had been carrying one million tons of furnace at present against four million tons in the past.
Regarding opening of Khokhrapar-Monabo route, the chairman said that a feasibility report for conversion of existing narrow gauge of tracks into broad gauge of track from Mirpurkhas to Khokhrapar had been sent to the government.
With meter gauge, he said, the railway could not operate train service as it did not have required coaches and engines. Regarding rehabilitation of Karachi Circular Railway, he said that the planning division in the last meeting had directed that a joint plan for the KCR, light-rail and road projects be prepared.
LOCOMOTIVES: The additional general manager said that the railway had purchased 69 locomotives from China out of which only 23 locomotives had been receives so far. Similarly, out of 175 Chinese coaches, 45 had arrived and rest would be assembled and manufactured at Islamabad carriage factory, he said.
He further said that the railway had also entered into an agreement with China for supply of 1,300 high-speed freight wagons. Out of them, he pointed out that 65 had arrived and pressed into operation.
Nazir Ahmed further said that a recently launched freight train covered distance between Karachi and Lahore in 23 hours as against 58 hours in the past. Each Chinese high-speed wagon could run at a speed of 100kms per hour and carry a load of 60 tons, which were more economical than the wagons railway already had with it.
NEW TRAINS: The railway would plan to run a fast train between Karachi and Mirpurkhas via Hyderabad after the arrival of more Chinese coaches, the chairman said adding that if this distance is covered in three hours, it will be more economical for travellers.
Asif Hayat also referred to some new trains, including Korakoram Express and a non-stop train between Rawalpindi and Lahore. He said that he had asked the divisional superintendents to carry out survey regarding passenger traffic movement after which the railway may start similar trains between Karachi and Sukkur.
He expressed hope that the railway was likely to operate more short distance trains by the end of this year. -APP
