Karachi Railways Division makes steep revenue gains

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The Pakistan Railways has made great strides in its revenue earnings with Karachi railway division alone having achieved amazing targets with total revenue earnings rising from Rs 4172.468 million in 2011-12 to Rs 15,615.820 million in 2015-16.

The statistics showed that railways’ revenue earnings stood at Rs 2326.312 million in 1988-89 and soared to Rs 4726.668 million in 2012-13 but shot up to Rs 15,615.820 million in just 2 years 2014-16. 

"The earnings of the division stood at Rs 12,158 million in 2014-15 as against the target of Rs 9304.276 million and went up to Rs 15,615.820 million as against the target of Rs 12,732 million in 2015-16,”Engr Nisar Memon, the Divisional Superintendent Railways Karachi Division, informed in an interview. 

Giving head wise earning position, he revealed that from July 2016 to October 2016, the railway's passenger earnings touched a record Rs 2126.150 million as against the target of 1978.068 million and on the goods side it stood at Rs 3161.55 million as against the target of Rs 2941.462 million. 

According to him, the passenger earnings of Karachi Division stood at Rs 575.817 million in 1988-89 which entered into four figure when for the first time railway earned Rs 1064.570 million in 1995-96 and shot up to Rs 3102.947 million in 2012-13 after the present regime came into power registering a steep rise to Rs 4081.624 million in 2014-15 and a record Rs 5779.633 in 2015-16.

On the freight side, Nisar Memon stated that the earnings stood at Rs 1,610 .906 million in 1988-89 which soared to Rs 6391.714 million in 2013-14 and rose to a record Rs 9151.506 million in 2015-16 thus carrying the total earnings from both passenger and freight sides to Rs 15,615.820 million. 

He observed that these targets were achieved primarily because of the leadership provided by the Federal Railways Minister, Khawaja Saad Rafique who has made tremendous efforts to eradicate corruption from the organization which in the past badly devoured its resources. 

He remarked that the minister's appreciation of their performance had provided them a boost to their efforts to make Karachi Division the highest revenue earning Division of Pakistan. 

The minister, he said, has directed that the facilities being provided to traveling passengers be further improved and Karachi Railway Division is working on various projects in this regard. 

As a result of the efforts made the trains’ punctuality rate has increased to over 80 percent for Down trains and almost 100 percent for upcountry trains.