LAHORE:

In 2009, the government had decided to replace the British-era arm and cable system, also known as kanta, with a digital electric-powered alternative to prevent daily accidents and ensure timely arrival of trains. But even after the more than 15 years, and a budget increase of nearly Rs.7 billion, the project, which has become a white elephant for the railways, has still not reached completion.

It is worth mentioning that there is a manual signaling system from Lodhran to Rohri and Sukkur and from Shahdara to Rawalpindi, Faisalabad and Peshawar. Under the manual system, the movement of vehicles is controlled by pulling a lever, while rail traffic is controlled by green and red lights and colored flags.

Pakistan Railways sources revealed that the digital signaling system was supposed to be installed in 2013, but due to lack of funds, the project could not be completed. Under the project, 31 railway stations were to be connected from Lodhran to Shahdara, but due to poor strategy, untrained officers, shortage of staff and electricity problems, the project has faced delays.

Tariq Rasheed, a passenger traveling from Lahore to Multan revealed that a few days ago, electricity on the main line was cut off at Chichawatni station due to non-payment of electricity dues. “As a result, the digital signaling system stopped working and we had to wait for hours,” Rasheed lamented.

Similarly, Shahid Nazir, another passenger traveling from Lahore to Okara revealed that the digital signaling system was not working due to non-payment of electricity bills at Okara railway station. “As the trains were delayed, the passengers had to suffer a lot,” said Nazir, who felt that train operations should be restored for the convenience of passengers.

According to the former Chief Electrical Engineer of Pakistan Railways, the modern computerized signaling system of Pakistan Railways has now become a bone stuck in the neck of the railways. “Dozens of trains are delayed for several hours due to daily breakdowns, while the trains have to use more petroleum products due to the inefficient crossing. The new system has been installed in only 60 percent of the stations on the main line of Pakistan Railways. As this digital signal system works on high power electricity, how can it be expected to work when there is no power at the station,” exclaimed the former boss, who further. revealed that in the past year, electricity connections had been interrupted at more than 10 railway stations, which were later restored.

Similarly, officials from the railway workers’ union confirmed that due to various obstacles, the project could be completed only up to Chichawatani. “Valuable equipment is lying across various railway stations and declines, leading to theft complaints,” the officials said. On the other hand, Pakistan Railways officials maintained that the electricity bills had been paid and the digital signaling system had been restored.