LAHORE, Nov 12: China will provide 15 locomotives and 45 coaches to Pakistan Railways by January 2002, say sources privy to the high-level PR delegation which has recently returned from China after signing an agreement in this regard.

Under the agreement, the Chinese government will provide a $20 million soft loan to the Pakistan Railways for the purchase of 69 locomotives and 175 coaches.

Fifteen completely built locomotives and 45 coaches will be provided within three months, while the rest of them will be built in Pakistan using Chinese technology, the sources say.

Chinese engineers will arrive in Pakistan next year to train their counterparts here and transfer the technology, they say, adding the production of locomotives and coaches will, however, start in 2003.

They say the delegation, which had left for China on Oct 29, toured six cities to see manufacturing of locomotives, carriages, track and sleepers (coaches) in different factories.

Railway authorities are also considering to purchase rail track from China as it has offered a soft-term loan for the purpose, the sources say. Austria has also offered a loan at a low interest rate for the purchase of track from it, they add.

Sources in the Loco Workshop, Mughalpura, say that the workshop has rehabilitated a 2000 horse power locomotive which will be inaugurated by federal Communication Minister Lt-Gen Javed Ashraf Qazi (retired) on Nov 16.

The engine is Quetta division-specific as dynamic brakes have been fitted in it to control speed of trains while travelling down from hills, they say.

Forty-eight more such engines will be rehabilitated at the workshop, they say, adding 23 engines of 2000 horse power will be rehabilitated by December 2002 and 24 of 3000 horse power by December 2003.

The Pakistan Railways currently has 364 locomotives, 69 per cent of them are 40-year-old. The average age of a locomotive is 20 years.