RAWALPINDI: Pakistan Railways Rawalpindi Division is all set to revive freight service from Rawalpindi Division to Karachi and Lahore.

From next month, it will transport cement from Ghareebwal to Karachi, and in return, the train will bring coal from Karachi. The trip will add Rs3.3 million to the kitty of Pakistan Railways.

“We made all the arrangements to transport 1,200 tons of cement from Ghareebwal to Karachi which will earn Rs1.1 million to railways. The train will bring coal for cement factories at Rs2.2 million,” said Railways Divisional Superintendent Munawar Khan while talking to Dawn.

He said that initially the freight train will have two rounds in a month, which would be increased subject to availability of free route from Karachi to Rawalpindi Division.

He said that the railways authorities also planned to transport salt and construction material from Ghareebwal to Lahore, Gypsum from Khushab to Lahore.

He said that the traders and business community were in contact to improve the freight service of the railways.

He said if the freight service did good business the Pakistan railways will offer more concession in fare for Replying to a question, Mr Khan said that the Pakistan Railways Rawalpindi division was earning Rs4.5 million per day from the trains departed from Rawalpindi division and in last two months it earned Rs135 million per month. “Railways has improved punctuality of its trains which revived the confidence of the people in the service. The earning of railways has improved in the last few months,” he said.

He said Pakistan Railways train from Rawalpindi to Lahore was doing more business.

He said the railways had launched a number of projects to improve the services. Railways Divisional Superintendent Munawar Khan said Pakistan Railways planned to improve the Railway Stations buildings of five big cities in the country including Rawalpindi, Karachi, Lahore, Quetta and Peshawar.

“We send plans for the refurbishment to the headquarters, which will soon approve the projects. In the refurbishment.

Published in Dawn, November 22th , 2014