RAWALPINDI:
Pakistan Railways achieved a record revenue of Rs115 billion, the highest in its 178-year history, Railway Minister Hanif Abbasi revealed on Monday while formally declaring that all railway schools and hospitals would be outsourced as part of the organisation’s privatization process.
Addressing the media after inaugurating newly constructed running rooms for guards and locomotive pilots at Rawalpindi Railway Loco Shed, the minister said that Pakistan Railways was undertaking comprehensive reforms including digitization, adequate sizing in various departments and outsourcing of schools and hospitals under a public-private partnership model.
Abbasi said the railways had reduced operational costs by Rs3.6 billion within four months of assuming office, adding that the organization was on track to achieve its current revenue target by July 6. He said five trains had already been outsourced, freight revenue had increased by 32% and land revenue across railway divisions had increased by more than 50%.
The minister said Pakistan Railways was making record profits and dismissed the Auditor General of Pakistan’s report as “misleading”, claiming the reported 19% loss was wrong and an attempt to undermine the department’s progress.
Abbasi said the newly inaugurated running rooms, equipped with air conditioning, improved accommodation and solar-powered uninterrupted electricity, were the first such facilities provided to guards and locomotive pilots in 36 years. He thanked the director general of the Frontier Works Organization for upgrading the rooms and said similar facilities would be established in other major cities.
The minister also announced plans to upgrade the exterior of Rawalpindi Railway Station on the pattern of Lahore, saying the project had been planned in consultation with the Rawalpindi Station Commander and was expected to be completed by December.
