RAWALPINDI: Prime Minister Imran Khan has inaugurated Sir Syed Express train at the Railway Station here today.
Speaking on the occasion the PM expressed resolve to lay down new railway tracks to facilitate the users of trains.
PM maintained that railway provided the best and the easiest mode of transportation to common people. He held that civilized societies always focused on improving their railway system.
Imran Khan informed that the government had signed an MOU with China regarding ML-1 to upgrade Pakistan’s railway tracks. PM stated that it has always been his priority to uplift the poor class of the country and his government has started Ehsas programme for the purpose under which an amount of 200 billion rupees has been earmarked in the budget.
Responding to Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed’s offer of reserving 1,000 stalls at various railway stations across Pakistan for the beneficiaries of Ehsas programme, Imran Khan said that those stalls would be allotted to needy people through a transparent balloting.
Lauding Sheikh Rashid Ahmed’s efforts PM pointed out that just in nine months he had reduced Pakistan Railways’ deficit from Rs. 36 billion to Rs. 32 billion. He blamed the corruption of previous governments led by PPP and PML-N for ruining state institutions. He said they have plunged the country into debt trap, while poor people became poorer. He made it clear that he will not offer any kind of leniency or NRO to those who have looted the national wealth of Pakistan.
Minister Railways Sheikh Rashid Ahmed informed that 24 new trains had been started during last nine months, while deficit reduced by four billion rupees, and earned five billion rupees more profit. He said total debt of Pakistan Railways would end in five years.
Sheikh Rashid told that railways earned 700,000 additional passengers in last nine months and all the booking for Eid-ul-Azha has been completed. He said ticket for senior citizens of aged 65 years has been slashed to half, while elderly people of aged 75 and above will be given four free tickets in a year. He said now facility of doctors and chemists has been made available on major stations of the country.
According to details the train is scheduled to travel from Rawalpindi to Karachi via Faisalabad, Khanewal, and Hyderabad. An official of Pakistan Railways maintained that the new train would facilitate passengers who travel to Karachi and other regions of Pakistan from KP, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Azad Kashmir.
