PESHAWAR, Feb 5: Federal minister for railways Ghaus Bakhsh Mahar has said that efforts are being made to lay a double track between Peshawar and Karachi.

Talking to workers and engineers of the Risalpur Locomotive Factory on Tuesday, the minister said that the government would allocate funds for sending engineers abroad on training to promote research activities in the railways.

Mr Mahar said that he would visit China to inspect engines and railway track being manufactured there for the Pakistan Railways, says a press release.

He said that feasibility report about the track would be completed in a year and efforts to secure assistance for the multi-million project would be made.

In this connection, he said, the railways ministry was holding negotiations with a Canadian consortium for getting financial and technical assistance.

The minister said that work on the double track between Khanewal and Lodhran was also in progress and the project would be completed soon.