ISLAMABAD: Pakistan State Oil (PSO) will meet the entire fuel and lubricants requirements of Pakistan Railways under a five-year fuel supply agreement signed on Tuesday.

PSO will supply high-speed diesel, furnace oil, lubricants and grease to Pakistan Railways.

With this agreement, five operation trains will start working, Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique said after the signing ceremony. “Pakistan Railways is working for long-term agreements with big national and international suppliers to make the system effective. The fuel supply agreement … is not only cost-effective but will also help to reduce the duplication of work,” he said.

In 2017-18 alone, PSO will supply Pakistan Railways with around Rs15 billion worth of petroleum products, which roughly translates to around 180 million litres of fuel and 3.5m litres of lubricants.

Speaking on the occasion, Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said, “PSO was awarded the contract on a competitive basis.”PSO’s Managing Director Sheikh Imran Ul Haque said the company will also provide Pakistan Railways with a hassle-free one-window solution for their entire fuel and lubricant requirements.

Published in Dawn, June 14th, 2017