Lahore (HRNW)- The ML-1 project has become a headache for Pakistan Railways. Due to delays in the project and lack of timely construction and repair, the infrastructure of Pakistan Railways has become extremely dilapidated.
Whether it is a passenger train or a freight train, if the speed of the train is increased, the rail car derails. Along with the passengers, the drivers of the trains are also facing problems.
According to information received by HRNW News, the 150-year-old railway track of Pakistan Railways has become extremely weak due to wear and tear, due to which delays of 7 to 9 hours in the timely departure and arrival of trains have become the norm.
Train drivers are running trains at very low speeds instead of the “book speed” of the trains. Vehicles are being run at very low speeds instead of the “book speed” on 1100 km of the approximately 1900 km railway track of Pakistan Railways. That is, the drive has been restricted from running the train at the actual speed.
ER engineering reconstruction has been implemented, which is why trains are sometimes forced to run at a snail’s pace. According to the book speed, the passenger train is down and up 110 kilometers per hour, but its speed is sometimes 55 kilometers and sometimes 78 kilometers. If it touches the speed of 100 on a track, the vehicles either derail and overturn or get into some other accident.
Passengers traveling by Pakistan Railways have to face delays of several hours, while due to dilapidation, sometimes Pakistan Railways cancels its trains and adjusts passengers to other trains.
The railway track from Karachi to Peshawar is in disrepair at places, which the railway administration is busy repairing from time to time to run the movement of vehicles, the railway track from Sukkur to Karachi is the most dilapidated. There are more than 100 engineering reconstructions for goods and passenger trains here.
The speed limit of the train has been limited, here the average speed of the railway is between 50 and 55 kilometers per hour, while if we talk about Multan, Lahore, Rawalpindi and Peshawar, the speed of the railway there is somewhere 78 kilometers, somewhere 80, if it touches 90 and 100, then the driver has to apply the brakes because Pakistan Railways has not paid any attention to the ML-1 project under CPEC on the upgradation of the railway track since 2015.
This is the reason why the railway administration has failed to run many trains on time despite having bogies and engines, only due to the dilapidated track.
When Chief Executive Railways Amir Ali Baloch was spoken to in this regard, he said that work is also being done on the track, if we go to Sukkur division, most of it is old. Many projects are being worked on in this division and the work is being done at a cost of about five billion. Karachi Rohri has been given the good news many times, while the upgradation of the railway station is underway.
Lahore, Karachi, Faisalabad and Rawalpindi stations have been upgraded. They are also providing other modern facilities including timely identification of passengers. Trains are also being run under public-private partnership, where along with comfortable seats, tasty food and drinks are also being provided at very reasonable prices.
Help us continue reporting on critical infrastructure and public transport issues by donating here:hrnww.com/donation
Be the first to comment