Effective measures increase revenue of Railways' Karachi Division

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi

Despite ongoing resource constraints, Pakistan Railway Karachi Division, succeeded in making a leap forward with an increase in its revenue income during the months of March and April.  

The Division earned a revenue income of Rs 9 million per day in passenger sector only during these two months, an increase of Rs 2 million per day as compared to revenue generated during January 2012.

According to Divisional Superintendent Railway, Anzer Ismail Rizvi, Karachi Division earned a revenue income of Rs 550 million during the two months under review.

"The revenue increase was achieved mainly because of strict vigilance and monitoring against ticket less traveling,” the DS Railway stated. He said that black marketing of tickets has also been effectively controlled with passengers being facilitated in reservation of seats in various upcountry bound trains.  

He said effective measures were also taken to ensure that passenger could board a train without valid traveling document at entry points of three major stations of Karachi, Cantonment and Hyderabad Railway stations.

Anzer Rizvi pointed out that speed restrictions at various points have been made normal by about 40 kilometers between Karachi and Tando Adam as a result of which the punctuality of trains have improved and now the trains were running at normal speed of maximum 105.

He said that an additional train service has been started between Hyderabad and Mirpurkhas, restoring a previously closed service. This service was closed after railway sources started depleting.

The restoration of service has greatly facilitated the commuters between Hyderabad and Mirpurkhas. Meanwhile the Divisional authorities also restored the Lower AC coach service between Karachi and Sukkur on alternate day for which power generating unit was arranged through local resources.

The DS Railway informed that a schedule of repair of 28 locomotives out of 111 allotted to Karachi Railway Division has been prepared whereby four locomotives will be repaired and brought on track every month from January 2013.

However, he said it will depend on arrival of spare parts either imported or made available locally. To a question, he said, that freight trains, which are a main source of revenue, have again been made operative with an average one train per day with containerized goods for Premnagar dry port and Furnace oil for Lal Pir Power station. He said that efforts were underway to run two freight trains daily from Karachi within a fortnight.