June 06, 2006	Tuesday	Jumadi-ul-Awwal 9, 1427

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LAHORE, June 5: The dualisation of rail track between Khanewal and Raiwind does not seem feasible keeping in view its high cost and the small number of trains running on the section at present, reveals a study of the Pakistan Railways documents. Senior retired and serving officers also oppose the plan suggesting alternative measures to improve the PR working, and pointing areas which needed to be prioritised to make it an efficient service.

According to the railways’ fare and timetable chart, and its year book for 2004-05 fiscal, some 24 mail, express and passenger trains, besides 10 freight trains, originate on an average from Karachi for various up-country destinations, and cover a distance of 831 kilometres on the double track up to Londhran.

Out of the 19 trains that reach Lodhran from karachi, 10 trains run to Multan side and nine via Jahanian after turning, joining and terminating enroute Kotri, Hyderabad, Rohri and Samasata junctions.

After termination of two and originating of six trains at Multan, 14 passenger trains cover the 50-kilometres distance between Multan and Khanewal, while two or three freight trains carrying oil and Goods In Transit to Afghanistan (GITA) run on the 70-kilometre strip between Lodhran and Sher Shah. The other five freight trains to Lahore and Faisalabad sides run via Jahanian.

Of the 23 passenger trains dispatched from Khanewal, 10 leave for Shorkot and 11 to Lahore, while one joins the main track originating from Okara and another from Pattoki. It means that 13 passenger and four or five freight trains run on the 246-kilometre long single track up to Raiwind round the clock, while three trains also join it from Raiwind up to Lahore on the double track. A former Pakistan Railways Board chairman was of the opinion that in view of the volume of traffic on Lodhran-Multan-Khanewal and Khanewal-Raiwind sections, there appeared no reason of detention of trains if they were operated according to the schedule given in the timetable.

“Instead of concentrating on the track, the railway administration should pay attention to the obsolete signalling system, speedy procurement of more locomotives, passenger and freight coaches,” he said.

He recalled that a siding line was laid down between Multan and Piran Ghaib stations during the tenure of then Multan divisional superintendent Naseer Alvi, who later retired as general manager. The line, he said, never became operational and action was taken against Mr Alvi for misusing national exchequer. At present, the former chairman said, the line was covered by encroachments.

He said the trains’ timings could only be regulated by ensuring timely turnout of fit locomotives from sheds, their proper maintenance and repairs, timely placement of coaches at the stations and timely loading and unloading of freight. Removal of temporary and permanent engineering restrictions, efficient check on wrong crossing of trains by control office and undue detention of trains by railway staff for personal gains, besides proper maintenance of signals and their regulation were some other measures suggested by the former chairman.

A serving BS-21 officer, who wished not to be named, called for reviving periodical training and refresher courses for operational staff, foot-plate inspections by officers, appointment of efficient and progressive officers and officials on operational work irrespective of seniority, grant of special awards to the hardworking employees and redressal of the grievances and service issues of field staff. The locomotives that had outlived their operational life should not be utilised for passenger trains, the officer suggested while emphasising on putting an end to uncalled for frequent freight train examinations.

“A freight train running between Karachi and Rawalpindi is examined at seven places during the journey in spite of the fact that it is declared mechanically fit before and after loading at its place of origin. “Examination of each freight wagon consumes at least 2.5 minutes, and calculate the time wasted in this regard at Kotri, Rohri, Samasatta, Khanewal, Lahore, Wazirabad, Lalamusa,” the officer said.

The main problem, he said, had been a shortfall in the PR’s passenger and freight earnings. The budget targets for the passenger and freight sectors had been fixed at Rs10,000 million and Rs6,500 million, respectively, for the fiscal year 2005-06. There was a shortfall of Rs1,641 million in freight and Rs263 million in passenger sector till May 20.

Pakistan Railways, the officer said, was still the cheapest mode of transport in the country. “A bulk of imported goods and POL products are available to railways at the Karachi port, but owing to non-availability of stock and locomotives, the organisation has not been able exploit the situation to its maximum benefit.

“Around 3,000 damaged wagons are awaiting repairs and no one pays attention to them. Owing to failure of freight locomotives, the turn round of wagons has been affected badly and stocks do not reach back in time. There is an urgent need to procure new fleets of wagons and locomotives, besides enhancing terminal facilities at all loading points at port area stations,” he said.

A retired general manager said the available terminal facilities, wagons and locomotives could only meet the Rs4,500 million budget target. Railway administration, he said, should focus on increasing sources of earning instead of wasting the funds on projects like dualisation of track on Khanewal-Raiwind section. “Undue track rehabilitation would cost railway more in the form of maintenance charges than the revenue it expects to earn from it.”

He claimed that introduction of new trains like the Millat Express, the Islamabad Non-Stop and Margalla Express had not increased the PR earning, but increased its expenditures. “The passengers have been shifted from other trains to the new ones, and the old are now running with lesser commuters. In fact, we have lost passengers on short routes,” he further claimed.