Railways Likely to Float Tenders for ML-I Project this Week
Image Credits: Associated Press of Pakistan
ISLAMABAD, Aug 31 (APP): Pakistan Railways is likely to float tenders for dualization of Karachi-Peshawar track Main Line-I (ML-I) during the current week under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project.
Tenders would be limited to seek interest of Chinese firms since the project would be funded and executed under the CPEC, official sources in the Ministry of Railways told APP. The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) has already approved the project which would bring a revolution in Pakistan Railways and create a number of job opportunities, they said.
Giving details of the ML-I, they said the project consisted of three packages. Under Package-I, the existing tracks between Lala Musa and Lahore, Lahore and Multan and Nawab Shah and Rohri would be replaced and upgraded.
They said Package-II consisted of up-gradation of the railway track between Lala Musa and Rawalpindi, Nowshera-Peshawar and Hyderabad-Karachi sections while the package-III included upgradation of remaining chunks of the main-line, including Multan-Khanewal to Sukkur.
Under the project, rehabilitation and construction of bridges, provision of modern signaling and telecom systems, replacing level crossings with underpasses and flyovers, fencing of track, establishment of dry port near Havelian and upgradation of Walton Training Academy (Lahore) would be carried out.
The project, the sources said, was aimed at increasing the train speed from the existing 80-90 km/hour to 160 km/hour, thereby reducing the train journey between major cities like Karachi-Rawalpindi from 22hrs to 10 hrs and Rawalpindi – Lahore from five hrs to three hours only, they added.
About the initiatives taken by the incumbent government, they said Pakistan Railways had introduced live tracking system, provided free Wi-Fi facility at major stations and initiated the establishment of a state-of-the-art command and control centre at Lahore headquarters to bring safety, efficiency and improvement in its network. Over one million customers are availing free live tracking through their smart phones.
The electric power distribution of railway colonies has been handed over to WAPDA – making an annual saving of Rs one billion, besides offering railway hospitals, schools and colleges to private sector under public private partnership or Joint Venture mode.
The sources said Pakistan Railways had extended free ticket facility for four trips per year to passengers aged 75 years or more and gave 50 percent discount in tickets for passengers aged 65 years.
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