The Central Development Working Party (CDWP) approved the replacement of the track machines project in its meeting yesterday.
This Public Sector Development Program (PSDP) project is worth Rs. 7.415 billion and will enable Pakistan Railways to maintain all the tracks of the railway’s network while enhancing the productivity of the latter’s operations.
The meeting was chaired by the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission (DCPC), Mohammad Jehanzeb Khan, and was attended by the Secretary of Railways, Habib-ur-Rehman Gilani, members of the Planning Commission, and other relevant stakeholders.
The Secretary of Railway briefed the attendees of the meeting that the project envisages the procurement of track lifting, leveling, aligning and tamping machine with an integrated stabilizer and a self-propelled track inspection and recording car. The cost of the machinery includes the cost of spare parts for three years.
The Ministry of Railways will execute the project that will be financed by the PSDP.
The Secretary added that the objective of the project is to strengthen and modernize the existing track infrastructure maintenance machinery by deploying the latest machines all over the operating division, especially in Main Lines 1, 2, and 3, and the Tertiary Lines, as mentioned in the National Transport Policy of Pakistan, 2018.
In light of the increasing freight and coal business, the reliability and safety of track infrastructure is the need of the hour that can be achieved with modern equipment and the timely replacement of track machines, the Secretary explained.
The CDWP also discussed policy-related issues regarding SDGs financing for green recovery to build forward modalities of engineering, procurement, and construction criteria for better development projects; a consultancy framework; and techno-economic feasibility criteria.
The forum took certain decisions to improve the project appraisal criteria, and it was agreed that the PSDP financing will be diverted from infrastructure development to support economic growth and digital space to allow the private sector to invest in infrastructure sector projects from the next financial year.
