By Abdul Qadir Qureshi
Federal Minister for Railways, Khawaja Saad Rafiq, has said
that after many years new locomotives are being inducted into the system as
they are the lifeline for the Railway system. He briefed the media corps after
formally receiving nine locomotives from China
at the port in Karachi .
Five engines had arrived early this month while the second
consignment of four engines arrived on April 27.
So far nine locomotives had reached here out of total 58
engines being acquired from China
and the remainders would be supplied by the manufacturers by the end of the
current year.
The Minister said that a team of 50 Railway officials had
been sent to China
for training to operate and maintain these locomotives which will also serve as
the master-trainers to guide other staff.
He said that contract for these engines was signed by the
previous government, adding that that a Chinese and an American companies had
jointly manufactured these locos and assured that these are of high RPM
capacity made of durable material.
A modern shed had also been built for them where the trained
maintenance staff would look after them, he informed.
He said that in the next three to four years 400 more
locomotives for goods and passenger train operation and another 100 exclusively
for coal operation would be needed by then.
The Railway Minister about train punctuality said:
"When I took the charge of his ministry it had dropped to 10 per cent but
since then it had improved to 50 percent due to discipline.”
“The Railways was now focusing more on quality than quantity
and decisions were being taken on administrative grounds and not for political
considerations,” he remarked.
