‘Only 200 of 360 locomotives operational’
KARACHI: Federal Railways Minister Ghulam Ahmed Bilour has said that Pakistan Railways has 360 locomotives out of which only 200 are operational, though they are not reliable.
The Railways needed 400 new locomotives to overcome the deficit, the minister said at a press conference at the divisional headquarters on Tuesday.
Besides, he said, between 60 and 70 power vans were required to run the trains.
Referring to the procurement of locomotives from China, he said that the Chinese engines were preferred over the US-made locomotives despite the difference in their standards mainly because of the cost difference.
A Chinese locomotive was being supplied for Rs102 million and an American engine for Rs227 million, he added.
He further said that the Chinese suppliers had been told to provide better engines after removing all previously detected defects.
Mr Bilour recalled that a letter of credit (LC) was opened in 2005 for the supply of 75 Chinese engines but it did not materialise till 2010 due to bureaucratic hurdles. He said that had these engines been supplied by 2008, the Railways deficit would have been reduced by 50 per cent.
The 29 locomotives lying at the Karachi yard for want of repairs would be made functional within one month once spare parts for engines arrived from China, he said in reply to a query.
About the recent closure of six trains, he said it was part of the planned rationalisation of railways operation. The closure of these trains resulted in the availability of between 17 and 18 locomotives, which would be used for freight operation, he said.
This would not only save losses of Rs1.5 billion, but would also generate a revenue of between Rs1.5 billion and Rs2 billion on an annual basis, he added.
He said the Railways reached its present poor condition only because the sector remained neglected in the past, with the major focus being on the infrastructure of roads.
He said billions of rupees were spent on buying land for building motorways from Lahore to Islamabad and from Islamabad to Peshawar. He said that had this amount been spent on upgrading the tracks, the Railways could have run trains at a speed of 200km an hour.
The minister added that the existing tracks with 8,000 bridges and culverts were built in 1861. While the tracks had a life span of 100 years, they had already completed around 150 years.
Mr Bilour recalled that the Railways deficit stood at Rs5.52 billion when he took over the ministry in 1991, and it had been brought down to Rs1.5 billion when he left.
“Now, the Railways faces a deficit of Rs90 billion, which is continuously growing,” he said.While the Railways had sold 300 Pakistani coaches to Bangladesh in 1992, currently it had to buy coaches from other countries, he said, adding that it was only because the Railways did not have the required funds to manufacture coaches.
Resource management
He added that the question was not of corruption but of resource management and investment. “We want to make the Railways stand on its feet, but it needs resources,” he said.
He said he had sought a meeting with the prime minister so that he would brief him on the current state of the Railways.
In reply to a query, he wondered how the Railways could be privatised when Rs7 billion was being spent on pension and Rs14 billion on salaries of its employees. However, he made it clear that the Railways would neither become bankrupt nor cease to function.
He also said that efforts were being made to start work on the Karachi Circular Railway project by the end of this year.
About the Railways land issue, Mr Bilour said the dispute had been sorted out after he talked to the chief ministers of Sindh and Punjab. “Now what remains is only the modus operandi for its implementation,” he added.
He said train fares had not been increased so far, but the matter was under consideration.
Asked if he would resign if the Railways continued to be dysfunctional, the minister said that he had been made minister by his party and would resign when asked by the party.
He also ruled out the possibility of mid-term elections. He was of the view that if this government completed its five-year term, next governments would also be able to complete their five-year term.
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‘Only 200 of 360 locomotives operational’
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