Pakistan Railway (PR) is planning to renovate and rehabilitate 31 more railway stations across the country to provide better facilities to the passengers.
Reconstruction of Bahawalpur, Okara, Sahiwal, Raiwind, Narowal, Nankana Sahib and Hassanabdal stations were in progress while 31 stations were under finalisation for renovation and provision of basic passenger amenities, an official in the Ministry of Railways is reported to have said.
The official said that Pakistan Railways had spent Rs 451.256 million on account of repairs, renovation and reconstruction of railway stations during the tenure of the present government.
He said that the present government initiated the project of up-gradation of rehabilitation of signalling system from Lodhran to Kotri section by getting PC-I approved, amounting to Rs 38,262.991m.
The official said the work, however, was deferred as the same was included in China-Pak Economic Corridor (CPEC). In addition, he said that the two projects of railway signalling from Lodhran to Shahdara and from Mirpur Mathelo to Shahadpur were inherited by the present government, termed as ‘sick projects’.
He added that the estimated cost of the re-signaling project is Rs 17.464b covering 31 stations over a section of 433 km from Lodhran to Shahdara Bagh including the installation of ATP system.
The cost of signal rehabilitation project from Mirpur Mathelo to Shahdapur (315 km) is Rs 7.855b for 23 stations, he added. He said that the present status is that 30 stations out of 54 stations have been completed and opened for traffic while work is in progress on the remaining 24 stations.
