80pc locomotives outdated imran shah

LAHORE - Poor management and governments negligence are constantly causing revenue losses to Pakistan Railways Department as the immediate effective planning and policies can save and bring the Railways back on its right track, The Nation learnt. The sources privy to the Pakistan Railways management disclosed that the multiple reasons including governments negligence had not only rendered Railways a revenue-losing department but also created problems for mechanical section of Pakistan Railways. The sources revealed that Pakistan Railways currently have 530 locomotives out of which only 350 rail engines remained in the running position while rest 180 locomotives always stayed in repairing positions. They revealed that life of 70 to 80 per cent locomotives had ended and the current repairing budget was also insufficient to bring all the exhausted rail-engines back to running position. Chief Mechanical Engineer Behzad Mehmood claimed that 15 per cent locomotives always remained in the repairing schedule but on the other hand the departmental sources claimed that number of repairable locomotives had been on the rise. The sources claimed that about 450 locomotives out of total current total 530 should be remained in the running position to meet the demand of the passengers but this formula could not meet the revenue losses completely. Sources privy to Railways management claimed that there was a need of four billion rupees to bring 450 out of 530 locomotives in running position, adding but so far measures by government were not taken in this regard. Railways had also dispatched requisition for the purchase of new locomotives to the authority concerned as currently purchase of 75 new locomotives was also in process. The sources revealed that soon the requirement of 160 new locomotives would be presented to the management and Railways Ministry. Behzad Mehmood refused to elaborate on the number of locomotives, which were totally exhausted or failed despite the repeated repairs. It is to be noted that purchase of new 75 locomotives could take three years, on the other hand the number of exhausted locomotives were on the rise. The government was not taking the concrete measures to provide the financial support to the mechanical section of Pakistan Railways so that it could bring the repairable locomotives back by purchasing the spare parts. According to sources about 78,500 employees were currently offering their services against the running of 25 per cent locomotives of the department that also revealed the apathy policies of government towards Railways department.