Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has directed the hiring of internationally recognised legal and economic experts for Pakistan Railways, with a special focus on enhancing regional connectivity and advancing international train link projects. The directives were issued while he presided over a high-level meeting on Pakistan Railways in Islamabad today.
Islamabad : Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif chairs a meeting on the matters related to Pakistan Railways.#PrimeMinister #ShehbazSharif #meeting #PakistanRailway pic.twitter.com/ZRNr6dyriO
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Addressing the meeting, the Prime Minister underscored that a modern and efficient railway system is the backbone of a country’s economy and communications network. He stressed the adoption of a public-private partnership model for effective management of railway land and property and termed ongoing initiatives for the restoration and improvement of the railway system as commendable.
The meeting was briefed on significant progress in digitisation, including the operationalisation of seven “Raabta” digital portals and the integration of fifty-six trains into the system. Free Wi-Fi facilities have been provided at major railway stations in Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi, and Faisalabad, with plans to extend this service to 48 more stations by the end of next month.
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Participants were informed that a pilot digital weighing bridge project has been launched at Karachi City Railway Station, with expansion planned to other major stations including Karachi Cantt, Port Qasim, Lahore, Papri, and Rawalpindi.
The outsourcing of four trains has already been completed, with eleven more in the pipeline, expected to generate additional revenue of Rs 8.5 billion. Additionally, outsourcing of 40 luggage and brake vans will yield Rs 820 million, while two cargo express trains under outsourcing are projected to generate Rs 6.3 billion in extra revenue.
The meeting was also informed that several subsidiary railway entities have been closed as part of restructuring measures. A roadmap is being prepared for the upgradation of the Karachi-Kotri section of Main Line-1 and Main Line-3, while the Thar Rail Connectivity project will be undertaken in collaboration with the Sindh government.
It was further revealed that the Islamabad-Tehran-Istanbul train service will commence soon, and preliminary work has begun on the Kazakhstan-Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan rail project, marking significant progress in regional rail connectivity.
The meeting was attended by Railways Minister Hanif Abbasi, Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Khan Cheema, and senior government officials.
