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RAWALPINDI: Pakistan Railways (PR) is planning to relaunch its freight service from Rawalpindi to Lahore to facilitate transportation of cement for India, it has been learnt.
In this regard two freight trains would be started from January 10. Pakistan exported cement to India through freight trains via Wagah border but the deteriorating condition of the railways forced authorities concerned to stop the freight service in June last year. The official sources told Dawn that the export of cement to India would increase if the railway revived its freight service. They said that the railways earned Rs115,000 from a single trip of passenger train from Rawalpindi to Lahore but it could earn more than Rs1 million per trip of freight wagon on the same route.They said that the railways had 204 freight trains and if it arranged the locomotives, these trains would be able to transport cement, petroleum products and other goods to different cities of the country. They said that Rawalpindi division and adjoining Peshawar division had a number of cement factories and it would be convenient for the industrialists to transport cement through trains instead of trucks as in case of rains, there were chances of their consignments being damaged.
When contacted, Divisional Superintendent Syed Munawar Shah told Dawn that Pakistan Railways was working to revive its freight train service. He said that after getting the bailout package from the federal government, the total 16 locomotives had been repaired and nine more engines would roll in the system by Tuesday. He said that Federal Minister for Railways Ghulam Ahmed Bilour would inaugurate the nine locomotives at Central Diesel Locomotive workshop in Rawalpindi on Tuesday (tomorrow). He said that two of the locomotives would be engaged to start freight service from Rawalpindi to Lahore to transport cement for India.
He said that the freight service was stopped in summer as Pakistan Railways was facing shortage of locomotives. He said that one engine would take 30 freight wagons from Rawalpindi to Lalamusa due to difficult terrain of Potohar region and from Lalamusa to Lahore it had capacity to pull 70 freight wagons due the plain area. He said that the earning of railways would increase many folds if it revived its freight service. He said that mostly businessmen were interested in the re-launch of freight service as its charges were lower than the road carriage.
