ISLAMABAD: The entire railway operation to Quetta, except track operation, would be outsourced, Minister for Railways Azam Khan Swati informed the Senate Standing Committee on Railways on Thursday.

He said efforts were being made to operate local trains in Quetta to facilitate people while train service to Quetta would be outsourced.

Railways Secretary Habibur Rehman Gilani informed the committee that two new trains to Quetta would be introduced as soon as new passenger coaches were made available for Balochistan.

He said Bolan Express would resume its service from December 1, while 90 per cent work on Harnai-Sibi sector had been completed. Train on Quetta-Chaman sector was being operated on a weekly basis, whereas train service from Quetta to Zahidan would be started shortly, he added.

The committee was infor­med that Akbar Bugti Express had remained suspended for the past three months.

Senator Naseebullah Bazai pointed out that night train service from Karachi to Quetta, which used to be operated in 1998, had been stopped and said it should be resumed to facilitate travelers who suffered at the hands of coach mafias and due to road accidents on this route.

Secretary Gilani informed the committee that PC-1 for the revival of Sukkur-Khanpur track worth Rs30 billion had been approved and work on the project would commence soon. He said a survey for laying track from Peshawar to Uzbekistan was pending, but the project was one of the priorities of the Ministry of Railways.

He said that under the CPEC, railway projects would be completed in phases in eight years. Under the first phase of ML-1, track between Peshawar and Karachi would be rehabilitated and dualised, but Quetta was not part of ML-1 for the time being.

He said Balochistan was part of the CPEC under long-term projects, and considering the current situation, Jaffer Express and another train were being operated on a daily basis.

Published in Dawn, November 19th, 2021