KARACHI: Federal Minister for Railways Mohammad Azam Khan Swati held a press conference at the divisional superintendent’s office at the City Railway Station here on Saturday where he revealed that Pakistan Railways’ freight volume will be doubled very soon.

According to the minister, at present the annual freight revenue of Pakistan Railways is Rs11 billion and that would be doubled. “If I cannot expand freight service, then Railways will break up and crumble,” said the minister as he promised to enhance the Railways’ freight earnings.

He said that it was one of his prime targets to completely overcome the losses of PR and transform it into a profit-earning entity.

Mr Swati said that he had earlier also visited the schools and hospitals, including the Hasan Hospital, that fall under the PR administration. He also shared his intentions of outsourcing the two in order to provide best educational and medical facilities to Railways’ employees and their children.

In addition, the minister also visited the diesel shed at Cantonment Railway Station, City Station and various other smaller stations and halts that fall in the Karachi Circular Railway loop and the Green Line interchange area.

While replying to a question regarding encroachment on Railways’ land, the Minister said that Pakistan Railways will not tolerate any kind of encroachment or squatters on its land. He also thanked the chief justice of Pakistan for stepping in to do the needful on the matter.

Published in Dawn, January 10th, 2021