LAHORE, Nov 13: Safety of passengers, replacement of obsolete assets, reduction in deficit and overdraft will be priorities of Railway Minister Haji Ghulam Ahmad Bilour.

“I have directed that all possible measures be ensured to make train travel safe and secure,” he said at his maiden news conference at the railways headquarters in Lahore on Thursday.

Replacement of 60 per cent assets like tracks, bridges, locomotives, coaches and the signal system that have outlived their utility came next, followed by measures to increase railways income and reduce deficit by promoting freight sector.

It was a matter of some satisfaction for Bilour that the incidence of accidents has registered a marked decrease as compared to last year. “Railways is still a safe mean of travelling, providing maximum facilities to passengers than any other transport service,” he added.

All possible measures would be taken for ensuring more facilities to the travelling public at railway stations as well as in trains. Effective steps would also be taken to check black marketing of tickets by expanding the tickets computerisation system. Focus would also be on curbing misuse of funds and stop corruption.

“The condition of railways was much better during my first tenure as minister,” recalled Bilour while regretting that wrong policies of successive governments, especially neglect of the profit-earning freight sector, badly affected its financial situation.

“In 1993, when I was minister for railways, its annual losses were Rs1.5 billion which have now surged to the tune of Rs28 billion,” he added.

Regarding increase in railways’ overdraft from Rs23 billion to Rs28 billion during the current year, he said it had nothing do with the performance of the department.

“Increase in salaries and allowances of employees by 20 per cent cost Rs609 million; raise in pension by 20 per cent cost another Rs291 million; enhanced prices of diesel and lubricants cost additional Rs2 billion; foreign debt servicing Rs1.206 billion; last years arrears of Rs2.658 billion were cleared; rupee-dollar parity cost Rs75 million,” he said and added these factors were to blame for the Rs28 billion overdraft.

“Railway is a public service organisation and we will ensure measures to improve its economic condition. I would never recommend its privatisation in view of its poor economic situation. I believe that serving railways is serving Pakistan,” Bilour maintained.

He said the Karachi-Chichawatni double track was almost complete while there already exsited a dual track between Raiwind and Shahdara. Directives have been issued for stepping up pace of work on the project of dualisation of track, and improvement in coaches, locomotives and the signal system.

Regarding provision of relief to passengers after reduction in petroleum products prices in the international market, he said it was not possible yet because of the huge deficit railways was currently facing.