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Pakistan Railway Projects.

The feasibility study of the proposed railway track of more than 140 km between Peshawar & Jalalabad will be completed at the cost of Rs 67 million by June 2021.

The aim of the feasibility is to get the measure of estimated passenger and freight between Peshawar and Jalalabad.


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NA Committee recommends financial autonomy for Railway Carriage Factory


The Frontier Post
February 10, 2021

RAWALPINDI: The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Railways on Wednesday recommended financial autonomy to the Railway Carriage Factory to increase its capacity and make it more efficient.

The recommendation was made during a meeting of the Standing Committee at Divisional Superintendent (DS) office, Pakistan Railways under the chairmanship of the Standing Committee Muhammad Moeen Wattoo.

The meeting was briefed by the officers of Pakistan Railways that during nearly 40 days, over 700 kanal of the Railway land were retrieved from the occupation of the encroachers.

The Railways officers informed the meeting that 4,000 acres of the Railways land was occupied across the country, of which 1,600 acres were under residential encroachments. The officers further said that 88 acres of the Railways land had been retrieved across the country since January 1.

The committee was also informed about the pensions and arrears of the Railway employees and all pensions and arrears will also be cleared up to June. The committee also reviewed other agenda items including the issue of construction on the Railway land in Quetta and the revenue of the Railways. DS Railway Rawalpindi Division Syed Munawar Shah also briefed the committee about Rawalpindi division and informed that the division had imposed ban on use of electric heaters in the Railway offices and also seized more than 600 electric heaters.

The division saved 200,000 units of electricity worth Rs 55 million.

He further said that the Railway is giving an average subsidy of Rs. 23 per unit to the employees. In terms of the electricity subsidy, the Railways is suffering a great loss, he said adding, it has been decided that big railway colonies would be handed over to WAPDA and digital electric meters would be installed in colonies.

The meeting was told that five buildings were demolished in Quetta city which were illegally constructed on the railways land.

Similarly, 48 acres land was retrieved in Karachi.

Member Committee Muhammad Bashir on the occasion informed that there are encroachments in many places from Nowshera to Dargai.

The Chairman said Pakistan Railways are facing financial problems which will have to be addressed.

He said, a tourist train can be run up to Landi Kotal.

The meeting also discussed implementation of the previous committee meeting agenda items and informed that NLC, FBR, and Railways have agreed on the new map.

Railway officers are also working on the site of Landi Kotal and the railway track would reach up to Chaman. Pakistan and Afghanistan have also contacted the World Bank.

Munawar Shah said that the inspection is being conducted for Takht Bay Railway bridge.
 

ECO Freight Train to resume operations after nine years.


After a gap of nine years or so, the Istanbul Islamabad freight train is likely to resume operations on March 4, connecting goods train business of three countries —Turkey, Iran and Pakistan.

“We have been informed by the quarters concerned that the container train would start its journey from Istanbul (Turkey) for Islamabad (Pakistan) via Zahidan on March 4. Though the schedule will be reconfirmed in a day or two, so far March 4 is the final date of departure of the train from Istanbul,” said a senior official of the Pakistan Railways.

Since the train will complete the one-side trip in 12 days, it is expected to reach the Islamabad dry port on March 16. “Pakistan Railways also plans to resume this train operation from 19th, as it is currently booking cargo for Iran and Turkey,” the official added.



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Railways launches ‘Premium Container Train’ with online booking

Recorder Report
12 Mar 2021



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KARACHI: In an unprecedented development aimed at modernising its freight service, Pakistan Railways (PR) on Thursday launched a ‘Premium Container Train’ destined between Karachi and Lahore, officials said.

The booking procedure for all of its wagons can be carried out online by open bidding from railways’ website.

Each train comprises 30 wagons and bidding for each wagon starts at Rs125,000. PR hopes that the train’s estimated minimum monthly earning shall be around Rs 22.5 million, if per wagon bidding of all six trains closes at starting value.

Pakistan Railways has scheduled 6 upcountry departures of this premium container train on 1st, 6th, 11th, 16th, 21st and 26th of each month whereas the subsequent down country departures shall take place on 3rd, 8th, 13th, 18th, 23rd and 28th of every month.

The newly introduced container train is expected to cover Karachi-Lahore distance within 32 hours. Punctuality of this premium train shall be under strict observation as refunding provision to the parties has been entailed if the train does not reach its destination within the stipulated time.

While commenting on the departure of the first upcountry Premium Container Train, Divisional Superintendent Pakistan Railways Karachi, Muhammad Hanif Gul said that the introduction of premium container train in the freight battery of Pakistan Railways was a major breakthrough that would serve as precedent in modernising the entire freight service.

“Ensuring transparency, observing punctuality, enhancing the revenue generation and efficient service delivery are the four essential objectives that define this newly-launched premium container train,” remarked the divisional superintendent.


Copyright Business Recorder, 2021
 
Tracks between Groyne Yard, Keamari rehabilitated


Shazia Hasan
March 17, 2021




Pakistan Railways has accomplished track connectivity of Groyne Yard with the old Keamari line. ─ AFP/File


Pakistan Railways has accomplished track connectivity of Groyne Yard with the old Keamari line. ─ AFP



KARACHI: In a significant development that will ensure marked efficacy in handling the container trains and traffic, Pakistan Railways has accomplished track connectivity of Groyne Yard with the old Keamari line.

In this vein, a light engine trial run has been successfully performed between Groyne Yard and Dawood Kanta and the requisite engineering certificate has also been issued accordingly.

Located on the premises of South Asia Pacific Terminal (SAPT), the rehabilitation of Groyne Yard for container trains was among top priorities of Pakistan Railways.

Divisional Superintendent, Karachi Railways, Mohammad Hanif Gul visited the yard twice in the last month and held extensive discussions with SAPT General Manager Reymond Chen on the revival of the yard.

“All the minor repair and rehabilitation works along with the trial run have been concluded and up-country transhipment from the yard will commence soon,” remarked Mr Gul.

A functional Groyne Yard will be highly beneficial as efficient freight service from the yard would scale up the freight earnings of Pakistan Railways.


Published in Dawn, March 17th, 2021
 
Pakistan Railways and FWO have joined hands to start development work on various sections. This venture will not only enhance the train speed and reduce the journey time but also strengthen the national economy.

1. Samantha - Amruka Section cost Rs. 7.735 Billion


Rehabilitation of track between Samantha and Bahawalnagar Section.
- Complete track renewal
- Conversion and repair of bridges
- Rehabilitation of 10 Railway Station and 80 level crossings.

2. Dadu - Habibkot Section. Cost Rs. 2.438 Billion

Rehabilitation and Upgradation of track from Rehmani Nagar to Bakrani Road
- Complete track renewal
- Overhauling of level crossings

3. Kundian - Attock City Section. Cost Rs. 2.222 Billion

Rehabilitation and Upgradation of track from Baruli to Sohan Bridge.
- Complete track renewal
- Overhauling of level crossings
 
The feasibility study of the proposed railway track of more than 140 km between Peshawar & Jalalabad will be completed at the cost of Rs 67 million by June 2021.

The aim of the feasibility is to get the measure of estimated passenger and freight between Peshawar and Jalalabad.


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I assume it’s being built on the same rail gauge as the one used in Pakistan. If the tracks are extended up to the Uzbek border with the same rail gauge all the way, then they will need to do a change of gauge transfer of goods. Watching which rail guages are used, and up until what point will be a significant indicator.
 
A hoppers train with NLC locomotive (7176) on the lead, passing Sangla Hill junction.

National Logistics Cell


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Pakistan Railways to switch 155 Railway stations to Solar Power.

Pakistan Railways (PR) will shift its 155 railway stations to solar energy under the direction of the government to use alternative environment-friendly energy resources. PR Public Relations Director Nazia Jabeen stated that total cost of the project would be Rs450 million.

She added that the PC-1 of the project ‘Solarisation and Commissioning of 155 railway stations’ had been approved and tender of the project would be presented after the Budget 2021-22.

Giving the details, she further said that 81 railway stations would be equipped with backup of eight hours after solarisation of the entire electric system.

She said that 22 railway stations would be shifted to solar energy where computer based inter-locking system was working.
 
Railways freight revenue from Karachi hits record Rs18.76bn in FY21


Shazia Hasan
July 4, 2021


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KARACHI: A comparative study of Pakistan Railways (PR) spread over a period of five years shows annual an uptick in freight revenue, with Karachi division generating record freight revenue of Rs18.76 billion in the outgoing fiscal year (FY21).

The study, shared by Railways with Dawn, shows that PR’s Karachi division, which has been entrusted with the management of freight trains, generated an all-time high freight revenue of Rs18.76bn in FY21 and surpassed the collection of Rs17.75bn achieved in FY19.

The cumulative tonnage loaded in all freight wagons during FY21 stood at 6.40 million tonnes, which is the highest since FY94, while surpassing the previous best of 6.321m tonnes in FY19. In addition, Karachi division loaded 215,291 freight wagons during FY21 — unmatched since FY94 — against the previous highest of loading 214,792 wagons during FY18.

A comparison of Karachi division’s five-year freight performance kicks off from revenue generation of Rs10.48bn during FY17. The transshipment of coal to two 660 MW coal-fired power plants in Yousufwala from January 2017 kicked a new era for freight service, with burgeoning revenues. During FY18, FY19 and FY20, Pakistan Railways’ Karachi division freight revenue escalated to Rs17.02, 17.2 and 17.75bn, respectively.

Multiple freight performance indicators shone through during March 2021. The loading of 20,000 wagons and revenue generation of Rs2bn plus per month are feats that were attained during the month of March 2021. It was only twice in the last five years that the freight service has generated Rs2bn plus in a month. The all-time monthly highest revenue of Rs2.114bn was generated in March 2021 while surpassing the previous best of Rs2.04bn achieved in October 2019.

The past five-year data reveals loading of 20,000-plus wagons seven times besides highlighting the achievement of this benchmark thrice in FY21 (December 2020, March and April 2021). During March 2021, loading of 22,566 wagons was carried out thereby outshining the previous best of 21,664 achieved in July 2018.

Yousufwala coal trains are the hallmark of freight trains departing the loading terminals from Karachi and they chip in around 55-60 per cent in overall freight revenue generation. Since the inception of this service in January 2017, 4,880 such trains had transported coal to Yousufwala. Each train comprises 40 advanced ZBKH hopper wagons having a cumulative tonnage capacity of 2,400. On average, during the last five years, 3.2 coal-laden trains from Karachi have departed for Yousufwala per day

FY19 depicted promising statistics for Yousufwala freight trains as 97,426 wagons were loaded, maximum number of 1,227 trains were dispatched and an earning of Rs10.68bn was achieved that occupied a significant chunk of 62pc in overall annual freight earnings. July 2018, the first month of FY19, ended in the loading of a maximum number of 12,330 wagons and processing of 155 trains that was followed by the loading of 11,124 wagons and processing of 138 trains during March 2021.

The monthly earning from Yousufwala service hit its climax at Rs1.365bn in March 2021. On March 27, 2021, an unprecedented per-day wagon loading of 392 for Yousufwala trains was achieved.
Apart from coal-laden trains, the ZBFC wagons, flat in shape, carry containers, ZBKC wagons carry coal and rock phosphate and two ZBC cargo trains 501Up and 503Up transport multiple items to upcountry from Karachi.
The highest number of all such wagons was loaded in February 2021 that stood at 13,104 against the previous highest of 12,344 in July 2016. The all-time highest revenue from these services stood at Rs.895m during November 2019.
Federal Minister for Railways Mohammad Azam Khan Swati has twice visited all the loading terminals in Karachi and directed for their upgradation to that of state-of-the art facilities so that all freight-related proceedings including loading can be conducted as per modern standards.
While talking to the media during his first press conference in Karachi on Jan 9, 2021, he vowed for doubling the freight revenue of the department and all efforts are now being made to achieve the minister’s targets in freight service.
Published in Dawn, July 4th, 2021
 
Pakistan Railways’ ML-1 on 10th JCC agenda

The next Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) meeting, which is now being held this Friday (July 16), is expected to deliberate on the multibillion-dollar Main Line (ML)-1 railway project, according to news reports. When approved, the railway line project, which runs from Karachi to Peshawar, will be completed in seven to eight years.

The 10th JCC is scheduled to take place virtually on July 16, 2021, and will cover a wide range of development projects taking place under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) initiative. The ML-1, however, will be discussed on priority as there are some outstanding differences between the two countries on cost estimation of the project.

According to details, the Central Development Working Party (CDWP) and the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) from Pakistan have estimated the total cost of the project to be USD 7.2 billion, while the Chinese side has estimated the total value of the project to be between USD 9.2 and 9.5 billion. The difference in estimated cost is the bone of contention between the two sides
 

Karachi Circular Railway’s Feasibility Study Will Be Completed By Mid-August 2021: Asad Umar


Federal Minister for Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives, Asad Umar, chaired a meeting to review the present status of preparation and processing of the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) and Railways Freight Corridor projects here in Islamabad.

In the meeting, important issues related to the freight corridor were discussed and reviewed. The meeting was informed that the feasibility study of the Freight Corridor had been completed. It was decided in the meeting that to gauge the level of the investor’s interest, all relevant and important decisions must be taken within a month by all the concerned departments.

Secretary Railway also informed in the meeting that the Karachi Circular Railway project is on track as per the timelines given by the Ministry. The feasibility study of KCR will be completed by the middle of August.

Keeping in view the importance of this flagship initiative, the meeting decided that a separate project be prepared for the civil structure of KCR for completing the project on a fast track basis.

The PC-1 for civil structures must be brought for processing for approval and subsequent funding through PSDP at the earliest. Simultaneous work on both the components of KCR will result in saving months of time and completion of the project
 

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