KHANEWAL, Dec 18: President Pervez Musharraf said on Monday that Pakistan would be linked to Iran, Afghanistan, China and Central Asian Republics (CARs) by rail. Speaking at the ground-breaking ceremony of dualisation of 246 kms long railway track from Khanewal to Raiwind, he described the project as a revolutionary step that would make the rail journey faster and cheaper.

The mega project being executed by the Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) will be completed in Dec 2007 at a cost of Rs 5.5 billion.

Governor Khalid Maqbool, Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi, Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed and Minister of State for Railways Muhammad Asjid Malhi also attended the event.

He lamented that while bullet and magnetic levitation trains had been introduced in many countries with speeds up to 300 km, trains in Pakistan were running at a speed of 80 km per hour.

He said it was his desire to see delivery of goods delivered from Karachi to Peshawar in just one day by trains.

Referring to a Sheikh Rashid Ahmed’s proposal for dualisation of the Lahore-Rawalpindi track, Musharraf said a feasibility study would be conducted.

The president called for having a standard gauge track instead of meter and broad gauge.

He said after the dualisation of the Lahore-Pindi track, the trains should run at a speed of 250-300 km per hour.

Musharraf said that railway mass transit system in big cities was a dire need of the hour.

In his address, the minister sought president’s help for validating single tenders by national organisations like FWO and laying of dual carriageway between Lahore and Rawalpindi.

Addressing the public meeting later, the president announced electrification of 476 villages, construction of bridge over Chenab, remodelling of Khanewal and Raiwind railway stations.

He directed the Punjab chief minister to give land rights to the residents of Railway Colony and develop the area in terms of provision of basic amenities.

He also announced four model villages for the Christian community in the area.—APP