FAISALABAD, April 15: Federal Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed has said that the government will not withdraw the reference filed against the nonfunctional chief justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry.

He was speaking while inaugurating a Super Cargo Train from Faisalabad here on Sunday.

He said the Pakistan Railways would introduce e-ticketing and a new traffic signals system soon while salaries of its employees were also being increased.

Earlier, a cargo train had been started some 20 years ago from the city. “Ten more cargo trains by bifurcating six trains are also being run to increase the income,” the minister said.

He said another fast train from Faisalabad to Karachi would be launched very soon. The super cargo train has 22 bogies, 13 for Faisalabad and nine for Multan.

He said the successive governments ignored railways and did not even spend a penny on its improvement from 1990 to 2000.

“However we are going to strengthen railways and 1,000 luggage bogies, 75 locomotives and 150 coaches are being purchased,” the minister said.

He said the government had set a revenue target of Rs2 billion while the number of passengers increased from 2.5 million to 3 million. New signals were being installed from Peshawar to Quetta.

The minister said non-profit routes would be closed down. He said overhead bridges were being constructed over railway lines from Lahore to Karachi.

Sheikh Rashid dispelled the rumours that the prime minister was being replaced. “Shaukat Aziz will not go as he is doing well.”

Federal Textile Minister Chaudhry Mushtaq Ali Cheema and district nazim Rana Zahid Tauseef also spoke on the occasion.