Lahore:

The Punjab government’s plan to serve Pakistan’s first bullet train between Lahore and Rawalpindi seems far from reality as senior railway staff denotes the idea a “dream” of the country’s outdated railway infrastructure and huge financial demands.

According to details, while Punjab’s management is eager to introduce a quick rail system, a complete overhaul of tracks, stations, signals, coaches, engines and support systems, even for a high -speed train, would be so much less a bullet train.

Officials said the current railway infrastructure is unable to support speeds above 100 km/h.

“It’s a dream,” said a senior railway employee who speaks on condition of anonymity.

They pointed out that the costs per Kilometers for a bullet train project was exorbitant as it would require $ 40 million per year. Km if they were carried out by a US company and $ 17-20 million per km. Km for Chinese companies.

Railways have nevertheless prepared various proposals for a high -speed alternative. The federal minister of railways Hanif Abbasi confirmed in a conversation with the Express Pakinomist ambition. “We already have coaches who can support high -speed trips, but the tracks are not compatible,” he said.

“However, we are determined to perform this project. After consultations with Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz, our goal is to reduce the travel time between Lahore and Rawal Pindi to 2.5 hours. Punjab will finance the project.”

The 280 -kilometer route presents more challenges, as several insiders are not optimistic.

Experts say that even marginal speed improvements would require huge investments that are potentially between RS200 billion and RS300 billion and years of development.

Currently, the fastest service takes Pakistan Railways’ Green Line, 4 to 4.5 hours to end the journey. Other trains take 5 to 5.5 hours.

Officials point out that the Lahore-Rawal Pindi track was curved and uneven, with steep slopes and falls that make high-speed trips uncertain. There are also three bridges on the route that need complete reconstruction to support the required speed.

“We don’t even have engines or buses that fit a bullet train. Forget about bullet trains, even improving the average speeds need hundreds of billions and a proper plan, a senior railway employee explained further.

He said that bullet and required new systems completely, as seen in Japan, China and chose European countries, where speeds vary between 200 to 500 km/h and even more today. He added that although nothing is “impossible”, the country must be realistic. Even in the United States, there is no full -fledged bullet train network. Instead, a high -speed system can be a viable and relatively affordable alternative. He also noted that working on the Main Line-1 (ML-1) —A important infrastructure project-is stopped since 2015.

“If ML-1 is completed, we don’t even need a bullet train. That’s the key. Everything had to be built from the bottom of a ball system. Given the costs, we must seriously engage China to implement ML-1. That’s the best option right now,” he added.

The expected fare for a bullet train also raises concerns about affordable prices. The ticket price could exceed RS15,000 to RS20,000 per Passages, making it unavailable for most travelers.

He compared it to Saudi Arabia’s Haramain High Speed ​​Railway, which costs 130 to 220 Saudi -Riyals (about RS10,000 to RS18,000), a rate delivered viable through heavy state subsidies. In Europe, ball train prices are often twice as expensive as ordinary trains.