ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Pakistan Railways has inducted as many as 145 new locomotives during the period of 2014-17 to facilitate the passengers and generate more revenue for the department.
“Currently PR (Pakistan Railways) owns 468 locomotives and 1,820 coaches (bogies),” an official in the Ministry of Railways told the state-run news agency.
Why giving details, the official said that Pakistan Railways added 27 locomotives during 2014-17, 29 in 2014-2015, and 34 in 2015 while 55 locomotives were inducted in 2017.
As regard passenger coaches, he said that 175 coaches were put in operation in 2002, 202 in 2014 while the remaining 1,443 coaches were mostly introduced up to 1984.
“Out of 468 locomotives, around 136 locomotives are non-functional whereas 563 coaches out of 1,820 are non-functional at present in PR system,” he added.
To a question, he said that Pakistan Railways has decided to rehabilitate and modernize around 136 non-functional locomotives to improve the system and increase efficiency of the organization.
“73 locomotives are under normal maintenance and repair schedules which will be made operational through different schemes under PSDP,” the official added.
To another question, the railways ministry official said that 62 Dalian Chinese locomotives are held up since 2012 for want of imported spares. He said that feasibility study is under process to examine whether the proposed repairs will be financially viable considering their residual life.
