Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday directed the Pakistan Railways to provide improved travelling facilities to passengers through the public-private partnership.
The prime minister, chairing a meeting to discuss the matters pertaining to the Pakistan Railways, called for a strategy to attract customers by offering them competitive rates and facilities, according to a PM Office press release.
He asked the Railways to utilise its land for commercial purposes in collaboration with the private sector and also formulate a strategy to enhance trade activity in the region, particularly with the Central Asian states.
The prime minister also instructed to utilise the services of professional and capable manpower and replace the conventional railway system with the modern one using the latest technology.
He also called for measures to ensure the profitability of the freight as well as the passenger services.
During the briefing, it was told that the 2022 floods had inflicted a Rs10 billion loss to Pakistan Railways as rail tracks remained inundated for 35 days. After the 2022 floods, Pakistan Railways improved its functioning and also earned a profit equaling the initial cost through its freight operations as the department had almost 8% share in the freight market.
The meeting was told that 18% of unnecessary workforces has been dismissed as part of the rightsizing process. Besides, work on the communication linkage of Thar Coal was going on swiftly.
Federal ministers Dr Ahsan Iqbal, Muhammad Aleem Khan, Muhammad Aurangzeb, Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Jam Kamal Khan, Ahad Khan Cheema and Sardar Awais Leghari, and relevant senior officers attended the meeting.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Monday extended his heartiest congratulations to President Aleksandr Lukashenko on his seventh victory in Belarus’ presidential elections.
The prime minister took to X, the social micro blogging website to felicitate the Belarusian President.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif wished President Lukashenko continued success for a historic 7th term in office.
“We will keep working together to realize our shared vision for stronger Pak-Belarus ties,” the prime minister said.
