Pakistan is improving rail network with the billions of Chinese loan.
Islamabad, The promise made by the Chinese side to improve Pakistan’s rail network has given this South Asian country the opportunity to change the railway infrastructure of its colonial period.
This change is seen for software businessman Farooq Malik. 40-year-old Malik says that when he was a child, he travels from Karachi to Islamabad, and he barely completes this journey in 22 hours. According to Malik, after the train starts the green line, the train stops at low stations and runs from its time, which is the best change.
According to ‘Bloomberg’, Beijing is going to work from Karachi to Peshawar for upgradation of railway tracks of 1,168 miles. This railway line runs from the Afghan border and for this, China has given a loan of $ 8 billion to Pakistan. This railway line is part of China’s President Xi Chunfing’s ambitious Belt and Road initiative, under which China will complete several projects with the $ 60 billion imposed in Pakistan.
However, with the help of China, it has not been approved to update the railway network, but Pakistan’s Interior Minister Ehsaan Iqbal said in a statement that the first phase of this project will be started this year.
Pakistan Railway Secretary Parveen Agha said in an interview that in the last decade, Pakistan’s rail network was synonymous with corruption, delays and dirt. But now Pakistan Railway has doubled its earnings in the past 5 years to $ 40.1 billion and aims to double it again in the next five years. Awa said, ‘This is one of the biggest opportunities for us. Upgradation of entire railway system.
Metro will start before elections
The Lahore metro is likely to start before the elections this year with a cost of $ 1.6 billion to reduce traffic in Pakistan’s second most crowded city. The Chinese banks have given loans to this metro line. Islamabad says it has repaired a total of 300 locomotives engines, 1,000 passenger coaches, about 5000 freight cart coaches and 31 stations. Pakistan has also bought 75 high-powered locomotives from the General Electric Company at the cost of 41.3 million dollars last year.
Commuters also like to change
These changes in the Pakistan Rail Network are also being liked by travelers, and the number of passengers has increased to 25 million by 25 percent from the year 2013. 40-year-old Rana Iftikhar Ahmed, who sells snacks in train coaches, says that he has been working for the last 15 years, but his sales have increased 50 percent in recent years. They said that it takes four days to go from Karachi to Lahore by train for five years, but now this way the Green Line train takes only a little more than half a day to reach the floor.
Ahmed said, “The first things were far behind, now we reach our destination on time. Now more and more people use rail, therefore sales have also increased.
According to Bloomberg’s report, Pakistan has to hold general elections in July this year, but the country is currently facing a shortage of foreign currency reserves and Pakistan, China, Iran, Turkey, Afghanistan and even India to deal with it are also facing railroads. Wants to increase exports through
Corruption is the biggest challenge
Despite decades of investment, Pakistan Railway is struggling with corruption. Many officials involved in corruption have been sacked. Mujjim Aslam, chief executive officer of brokerage firm EFG Hermes Pakistan Ltd., says, “Corruption can prove to be the biggest challenge for this project. But if this project starts, it will make the transportation cheaper and competitive. ‘
Security system is also a matter of concern
In Pakistan trains, 96 people have died and 480 have been injured due to the 137 attacks since 2000. This data is given by the South Asia Terrorism Portal. Security has been the biggest issue in the last 4 years and additional police forces have been deployed along with 700 special commandos of Special Security Force.
