SEPTEMBER 15 sees the formal inauguration of a new Marketing Department at Pakistan Railways, one of a range of initiatives launched by Chairman Lt-Gen Javed Ashraf Qazi at the request of the government. The department is intended to put PR’s activities onto a more commercial basis, including the leasing out of surplus railway land. Ashraf Qazi says his administration has already eliminated PR’s Rs1bn annual loss. He hopes to cut the accumulated deficit by Rs1bn this year, and eliminate the Rs3·5bn debt by the end of 2001.
PR has started work on a track renewal programme which will see 80 km of main line upgraded from 45 kg/m to 50 kg/m continuous-welded rail by June 2001. Over the same time, a further 170 track-km will have been relaid with concrete sleepers.
On the rolling stock front, a batch of 30 diesel locos is due to be completed at Risalpur works by March 31; 16 have been rolled out so far. Refurbishment has started on 120 inter-city coaches which will take over four premier services: the Shalimar Express this month, the Khyber Mail in December, Quetta Express in March and Sukkur Express in June. By mid-2001 around 1200 wagons will have been equipped with roller bearing axleboxes. n
