ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Railways has submitted a project proposal to the Planning Commission for ‘special repair’ of 100 diesel locomotives and sought Rs488.3 million for the purpose.

Sources said the project was included in the Public Sector Development Programme for 2014-15, but the allocation of Rs400m made under it was less than the amount requested.

In any case the allocation is yet to be approved. And there’s a proposal that the project be financed from the block allocation for transport sector.

Sources in the railways ministry said the Central Development Working Party of the Planning Commission was likely to take up the project at its next meeting.

While submitting the proposal to the commission, Pakistan Railways said that “if special repair of these 100 locomotives is not carried out immediately there is likelihood that the locomotives will turn into scrap”.

Under the proposal, 26 locomotives are to be repaired in 2014-15 and 74 in 2015-16. These will be repaired at the Central Diesel Locomotives Workshop in Rawalpindi and Diesel Shop in Karachi. The ministry has submitted that the repair of locomotives will lead to improved financial health of the railways and will help increase railways’ share in national freight traffic which will be beneficial both in terms of fuel efficiency and reduced environmental degradation. It has been estimated that about 100 locomotives plus 15 ineffective locomotives are sufficient for earning 6,500 million tonnes kilometres (MTKM) and 150 locomotives plus 25 ineffective locomotives on passenger services for earning 26,500 million passenger kilometres (MPKM) annually. Pakistan Railways currently has the annual capacity to haul 6,500 billion tonnes kilometres (BTKM) freight and 26.4 billion passenger kilometres (BPKM). At present, revenue of more than Rs10bn can be earned in freight sector and Rs14bn in passenger sector. To restore freight traffic to the previous levels, special repair of 100 locomotives is required. The repairs will also provide locomotives for reliable passenger services. The existing availability of 200 working locomotives is barely 44 per cent of the required strength, leaving only about 100 locomotives for passenger services. The demand for passenger traffic is 191 trains per day while that for freight traffic it is more than 90 trains per day.

Against a demand of 281 fit locomotives for active duty only 176 locomotives are available, leaving a gap of 105 locomotives, according to the report submitted to the Planning Commission. In the last two to three years, the availability and reliability of locomotives have declined sharply but the situation has improved somewhat during the last ten months, according to the report.

Published in Dawn, June 16th, 2014