May 23, 2006	Tuesday	Rabi-us-Sani 24, 1427

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LAHORE, May 22: Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad has promised relief for economy class passengers if the organisation succeeds in generating money from advertisements.

“We will offer our 25,000 slow-moving wagons, spaces at 640 stations and along the over 8,000 kilometre-long track to private companies at a seminar at the headquarters on May 26 and we will pass on the benefit to economy class passengers if we get better offers,” he told newsmen at the Mayo Gardens Club on Monday.

An economy class passenger, who will travel by Margalla Express between Rawalpindi and Lahore or vice versa the same day, will get a 10 per cent discount.

Sheikh Rashid said the standard of the railways waiting rooms and rest houses would be upgraded and provision of at least one-star hotel facilities would be ensured there.

Regarding dualisation of the track on the Khanewal-Raiwind section, he vowed: “I will involve the National Logistics Cell, the Frontier Works Organisation and if you people don’t raise the human rights issue, I’ll engage 5,000 to 6,000 prisoners to complete the project.”

The minister said besides improving the infrastructure, his priorities were to ameliorate the lot of the people who actually ran the railways. The locomotive drivers would soon be given BS-13 and the pay scales of guards would also be revised.

A special package for employees in BS-1 to BS-4 would soon be announced and utility stores would be opened at the railway colonies where 11 essential items like flour, ghee, sugar and pulses etc would be made available at subsidised rates.

The minister said a comprehensive plan had been prepared to improve the railways, especially its overall financial health. Steps like increasing, refurbishing and manufacturing of rolling stock, including coaches and locomotives, were under way, he said.

“But we have to adopt innovative methods for improving economy of the railways and lay more emphasis on freight services which have the potential to become one the main sources of earnings. It is shameful if we cannot manufacture even 50 locomotives at a factory built for the purpose back in 1988.

Unhappy with up and down suffixes of the trains, he said these would be given beautiful names. A revision of the timetable was also under consideration to make it more passenger-friendly.

“We are trying to get contracts for laying the rail track abroad. A railway team is in Saudi Arabia at present while State Minister Asjad Malhi will soon be going to Libya for the purpose.”

More non-stop between Multan and Karachi besides Islamabad and Karachi would be run. Arrangements would be made for the transportation of five to 10 tons of mangoes from Multan to Karachi through the Zakariya Express.

About the losses being incurred by the railways, the minister said that efforts were under way to improve earnings. “I have been told by the railway authorities that we earned a sum of Rs40 million more than the corresponding period last year since I took over on May 2.”

Regarding the ongoing dispute involving Rs228.582 million late surcharge payment with the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Ltd, the minister said such matter between government departments stood resolved in the end.

The minister left for Rawalpindi by Margalla Express which he formally inaugurated in the morning after presiding over a meeting at the railway headquarters.