THERE are all indications that the hard work of the Railways Administration, under the active guidance of Minister Hanif Abbasi, Pakistan Railways is on the right track to become a preferred mode of travel and transportation of goods.
The Minister has pledged that all passenger trains operating across the railway network will be upgraded by the end of the New Year and Pakistan Railways would become a Rs100 billion revenue-earning entity in FY26.
The decision to upgrade all 102 passenger and express trains is motivated by the desire of the Minister to provide better travel experience to railway passengers. In view of repeated attacks on trains by anti-state elements, the PR is understandably focusing on safety and security aspects and in line with this policy the railway police has been imparted modern training besides installation of surveillance cameras to strengthen on-board and station security. The plan to ensure end-to-end digitization of entire operations of the organization will go a long way in ensuring transparency, plugging leakages and improving vigilance. Alongside passenger reforms, the Minister placed strong emphasis on the freight sector, which has emerged as one of Pakistan Railways’ most consistent revenue generators. According to Abbasi, the freight business earned a record Rs17 billion in the first six months of the current fiscal year. There are projections that the freight income will exceed Rs 38 billion by the close of the financial year as the government is increasingly presenting rail freight as a viable and cheaper alternative to road transport. With rising fuel costs and road congestion, logistics experts say, rail-based freight offers long-term cost and environmental advantages, provided service reliability improves. The PR has a clear edge as far as speedy and economical transportation of goods is concerned but this potential could not be properly exploited due to collusion of its officials and private transporters. There are also issues like misuse of goods trains by some government departments, which must be sorted out. The freight income can increase meaningfully if high capacity wagons are introduced and track improvement is undertaken on a priority basis. Plans might also be drawn to improve and expand not only the national network to align it with the larger trade routes but also regional connectivity to boost freight volume and economic growth.
