Summary Pakistan Railways GM Operations says Lahore-Karachi double track will be completed by March 2013.
Two more trains under Public Private Partnership are also being started soon, said Junaid Qureshi while speaking at the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Thursday.
LCCI President Farooq Iftikhar, in his opening remarks pointed out a number of issues behind the deterioration of Pakistan Railways.
LCCI former Vice President Aftab Ahmad Vohra, Executive Committee Members Amjad Chaudhry, Mian Zahid Javaid and Tanvir Ahmad Sufi also spoke on the occasion. Chief Traffic Manager, Dryports, Altaf Hussain, Additional General Manger Asad Ahsan and Imtiaz Hussain Rizvi also attended the meeting.
Junaid Qureshi said that not a single locomotive has been added to railways fleet since 2008. He said that the Pakistan Railways is ready to provide track facility to private sector if it wants to run own locomotives.
He said that Track Access Policy is likely to be finalised soon as a meeting in this regard is being held today (Friday).
About trade with India, he said that the Pakistan Railways is willing to enhance free day demurrage period from existing 24 hours to 48 hours.
He said that the Pakistan Railways is fast heading towards revival as a number of steps are being taken to turn it into a profitable institution.
He said that the Railways earned Rs 650 million more as compared to last year. He said that fuel and utility bills are eating up a bigger portion of Federal government is funding to Railways.
He said that since 1995 the fuel prices registered a surge of 800 per cent while Railways made a raise of 105 per cent of freight train fares and 70 per cent in the fares of Passenger trains.
