Pakistan Railway said on Wednesday that it will outsource the commercial management of 34 passenger trains to the private sector in order to improve customer convenience.
The government has begun the bidding procedure in this respect, with 17 passenger trains already being offered via open tendering. Only 11 of the 17 trains were able to get single bids owing to a lack of interest among bidders. Meanwhile, 6 trains are attracting the attention of a number of businesses.
Out of the 17 trains, Pakistan Railway Advisory and Consultancy Services Limited (PRACS), a subsidiary of the Ministry of Railways, has purchased eight, including trains that operate on critical lines including Tezgam, Hazara, Millat, and the Karakoram. PRACS submitted the highest proposal for the Karakoram Express, with an annual cost of Rs1.84 billion, according to sources.
SSR & Company (Pvt. Ltd) has also contributed Rs1.26 billion to Shah Hussain Express, Rs1.26 billion to Rehman Baba, and Rs250 million to Islamabad Express on a yearly basis.
Meanwhile, Ross Logistics has submitted bids for Jaffar and Subak Kharam Express totaling Rs1.60 billion and Rs257 million, respectively. Ghouri Express has received an offer of Rs93 million from Imran Enterprises.
In order to supplement its declining finances, the railroads have been considering other income sources. The PR’s newest effort to privatize trains as part of its intentions to find a solution to the numerous issues, which include continuous complaints about its bad services, train traffic delays, and rising accidents.
In another development, the railroad’s ministry said on Wednesday that it had decided to place the seats that had been empty for a long time in all eight divisions throughout the nation in a pool of “surplus.” To make up for its losses, the ministry tossed empty seats from grade 1 to grade 16 into the excess pool. For a long period, the chairs remained empty.
In this regard, the ministry sought full biographical information from all divisional personnel officials assigned to the seats. As soon as the data is collected, it will be submitted to the ministry.
