LAHORE: Pakistan Railways officials joyously waved to a Chinese locomotive chugging a freight train from Karachi for an upcountry destination on Sunday.

“Locomotive No 6313 started hauling the 26-wagon coal consignment -- the 155th freight train in a month after more than two years -- to an up-country destination at 5.20pm,” a senior officer of Railways Ministry told Dawn.

“Carrying 60 tonnes in each wagon, the train is bound for Chichoki Malian. Five freight trains left the Sindh capital daily on an average for various up-country destinations this August,” said the officer and added efforts to get the railways back on track have started bearing fruit.

Freight service is the major source of income for railways worldwide and the Pakistan Railways used to earn at least Rs6 billion annually from the operation of eight to 10 freight trains from Karachi for various up-country destinations daily.

However, shortage of locomotives in May 2011 had forced the railways administration to suspend all the cargo trains from Karachi. Suspension of passenger trains and availability of locomotives resulted in restoration of freight service of four trains daily in December the same year. However, the freight service witnessed several ups and downs primarily due to locomotives shortage and the number of freight trains leaving Karachi remained one or two daily.

After a decade or so, a total of 16 freight trains left Karachi for various up-country destinations on August 14, heralding revival of the much-neglected Pakistan Railways. Seven oil specials, two sunflower seed trains, two container special for Prem Nagar dry port, two trains carrying rails for Samasatta, one coal special for Daudkhel, one rock phosphate train for Machigoth and one train carrying railway material left for Lahore from Sindh capital.

Published in Dawn, September 1st, 2014