Pakistan Railways is spending millions of rupees to improve its infrastructure, including tracks, bridges, stations, and rolling stock. This is despite financial constraints that the organization is facing. One of the major projects that Pakistan Railways is undertaking is the rehabilitation of 518 kilometers of track between Kotri and Khanpur. This project is costing Rs. 1862.84 million. Other projects include the rehabilitation of Karachi Port tracks, the upgrading of Railway Dry Ports, and the rehabilitation of track machinery. Pakistan Railways is also planning to upgrade 11 stations under PSDP projects. These stations are Peshawar, Hassan Abdal, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Lahore, Narowal, Nankana Sahib, Raiwind, Okara, Sahiwal, and Bahawalpur.

The upgradation of Main Line-I is another major project that Pakistan Railways is undertaking. This project is costing $6.683 billion and is being negotiated with the Chinese side. Pakistan Railways is also taking steps to improve the maintenance of its assets. These measures include increasing fiscal space for maintenance through transfer of pension, reducing utility bills through solarization, improving procurement management through prioritized procurement, and an efficient fuel management system. The department is also gradually shifting from manual to a mechanized track maintenance regime for enhanced productivity and quality. Improved governance of the maintenance system through the introduction of IT-related interventions (ERP, etc) and provision of professional human resources is also among the top priorities.

Regional connectivity is an important aspect of the Pakistan Railway development framework. Presently, Pakistan Railway has planned to improve its functional links with regional countries including India and Iran. Furthermore, some new rail links would be established as Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (UAP) Railway connectivity project through Kohat-Kharlachi, Pakistan-China Railway connectivity project through Havelian-Kashgar and Pakistan-Iran Railway connectivity project through Quetta-Zahedan. These projects will help to improve the connectivity of Pakistan with its neighboring countries and boost the economy.

 
Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)