The government was committed to upgrading the transportation and communication system to improve connectivity under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). “A network of roads, highways, motorways, seaports, [railway tracks] and airlines in a country makes it a centre of economic activity by attracting investment, raising productivity, and reducing the cost of doing business,” an official document available with WealthPK said.

The CPEC was a pragmatic step for converting the unique geo-strategic location of Pakistan into geo-economics through various transport-related projects that would transform the road infrastructure of Pakistan and improve access to Central Asian, African, and European states, it said. 

Pakistan Railways was expanding the scope of the CPEC to explore the "Gateway of Prosperity" for both countries and the region at large through the advancement of the railway sector. The Railways Department considered CPEC as a long-term development project as it had the potential to serve as a corridor with multiple doors connecting China with Central Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Europe, it said. 

The Chinese and Pakistani workforce, in a large number, was employed to ensure the timely completion of the infrastructure projects, the document added. There were also new projects launched such as Sukkur-Hyderabad Motorway (M-6), Peshawar-D.I. Khan Motorway (M-14), Karakoram Highway Alternate Route (Gilgit-Shandor-Chitral), Swat Expressway (Phase-II), Dir Expressway, and Karachi Circular Railway. 

Pakistan Railways was providing one of the key modes of transport in the public sector which promoted national integration and economic growth, it added. Pakistan Railways comprised a total of 466 locomotives for a 7,791 km long route. During July-March fiscal year 2022, the gross earnings of railways were recorded at Rs 43.73 billion.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan-WealthPk