Pakistan Railways has incurred losses of more than Rs. 46 billion during the three years of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, a departmental report revealed on Tuesday.
The report forwarded by the railways department to the Ministry of Railways stated that the total losses of Pakistan Railways had ballooned to Rs. 1.19 trillion. Of them, Rs. 46 billion were incurred during the first three years of the incumbent government.
The report revealed that between 2018 and 2021, 270 people lost their lives, while 396 others were injured in 455 train accidents.
No progress could be made in financial or administrative matters in the said period. For instance, 57 passenger trains were shut down in the last three years, bringing down the number of trains to 85 from 142. Similarly, the number of freight trains was reduced from 16,159 to 14,327.
Although the number of employees decreased to almost half, from 12,000 to 67,627, pensioners of the department have increased to over 115,000 people.
During the last financial year, the department paid Rs. 28.21 billion in terms of salaries of current employees, while a hefty Rs. 31.41 billion was spent on pensions.
Talking to Express Tribune, Sheikh Mohammad Anwar, Central President of Pakistan Railways CBA Union, remarked that the Pakistan Administrative Service has been appointing the Chairman Railways since 1991-92, but none of their appointments could bring improvement.
“The railway is a multi-technical institution, but when the head of the institution is non-technical, what will be the development of that institution?”, he questioned.
Reacting to the report, former Federal Minister for Railways, Khawaja Saad Rafique, said that the current government had completely derailed Pakistan Railways.
“The train is a ride for the poor and middle class, and we strengthened the department with reforms but the present government has ruined whatever ground we made by its incompetence and ineptitude,” he was quoted by Tribune as saying.
However, the current Railways Minister, Azam Khan Swati, was hopeful that the state institution will become a profit-making entity once again.
Swati believed that the implementation of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) would transform railways.
“The government is also set to announce a package for the rehabilitation of the railways soon. The restoration of railways is one of the government’s top priorities,” Swati informed.
