ISLAMABAD: The government has decided to commission a feasibility study for the creation of a dedicated freight corridor for Pakistan Railways, and made allocations in the 2015-16 budget to procure wagons for freight service.

Finance Minister Ishaq Dar in his budget speech said that about 1,500 new freight wagons would be arranged. In addition, the government made an allocation of Rs41 billion for 52 development projects of Pakistan Railways under the Public Sector Development Programme for the next financial year.

The Pakistan Railways will target its investments on locomotives, bogies, tracks, signalling systems, and improvement of railway stations.

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The allocation envisages procurement of 170 locomotive engines and rehabilitation of 100 old engines since Pakistan Railways faces shortage of locomotives and rolling stock.

An important project to be carried out during the upcoming fiscal year is improvement of signalling system on Lodhran-Khanpur-Kotri section and the provision of centralised traffic control.

Another key project to be undertaken and completed during 2015-16 is doubling of track from Khanewal to Raiwind, and from Shahadra to Lalamusa. Both these tracks will cover a major portion of the north-south mainline.

Mr Dar said that strengthening and rehabilitation of 159 weak railway bridges would be completed by June 2017.

In addition to the development and maintenance projects, he said, the government had allocated Rs37bn for pay and pensions of railway employees.

Published in Dawn June 6th, 2015

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