Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Friday approved a business plan to transform Pakistan Railways into a more viable, efficient and business-oriented entity.
The decision was taken by the prime minister while chairing a meeting at the PM House to review the challenges faced by Pakistan Railways and decide steps required to get it back on track.
The prime minister said Pakistan Railways had the potential to significantly increase its contribution to the on-going development process in the country through re-orientation of freight business, better yield and assets management.
The prime minister emphasised on the need to expedite the reform process of Pakistan Railways and its conversion into a corporation. He said a combination of reforms and investments would help leverage the true potential of Pakistan Railways and convert it into a profit-making organisation. Pakistan Railways should work with a development partner for the best results, he said.
The prime minister said that the railway network was a key part of the National Trade Corridor plan, which would help improve the logistics chain, promote competitiveness and enhance productivity.
Giving the presentation on the new business strategy Secretary Ministry of Railways said that the ministry would focus on structural and procedural reforms, capacity building of human capital, replacement of overage and obsolete assets mechanisation, up gradation of maintenance facilities and outsourcing of various operations.
About the new initiatives taken by Pakistan Railways, he said a new cargo express had started operating on daily basis between Badami Bagh and Karachi and its operations had been outsourced to private sector. Another cargo express also started functioning between Faisalabad-Multan-Karachi thrice a week, he said.
He said the business strategy for freight movement included improvement in commercial speed of freight trains, up gradation/induction of rolling stock, improved signalling and communications and vertical integration of terminal business ends with track access working with port terminals.
The meeting was attended among others by Minister for Railways Sheikh Rashid Ahmad, Minister of State for Railways Khalid Ahmad Khan Lund and senior officials.
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