Railways to outsource 13 passenger trains by December

Dawn reported that Pakistan Railways has decided to hand 13 express passenger trains to private operators, with officers told to finish the work by December. Minister for Railways Hanif Abbasi said the advertisement and contract award would be completed soon. Six trains are already run commercially by private parties, according to him.

The minister said the department is working to restore every defective dummy wagon to serviceable condition and is acting against vendors that supplied parts late. He instructed staff to swap defective brake cylinders, blocks and shoes for new components, and ordered private vendors blamed for supply delays to be blacklisted. Officials were also told to fit surveillance cameras and hire guards for workshops and yards to curb theft.

A railway bridge on the Lahore-Faisalabad line, damaged in recent floods, is to be repaired within two months. Freight earnings have overtaken passenger earnings for the first time, the minister said. He expects the railways to bring in Rs120bn from passenger and freight services by June 30, the end of the fiscal year, and has ordered legal action against negligent officials.