SIALKOT: In a bid to facilitate passengers, the Ministry of Railways is all set to start 14 local trains in Sialkot District, including Sambrial and Pasrur under public-private partnership.
A railways official said that the Pakistan Railways and private company were endeavoring to restore 14 deserted railway stations, including Sohawa, Begowala, Sambrial, Saahowala, Uggoki, Sialkot, Naseerabad, Gunnah Kalan, Alhar, Chawinda and Pasrur.
He added the trains would facilitate more than four million population of Sialkot District by providing them with improved railway journey facilities. The official said all the necessary arrangements in this regard had also been finalised by the Pakistan Railways and the private company.
The official maintained that 14 railway stations were in a dilapidated condition for the last several years due to the negligence of the previous governments.
He elaborated that Pakistan Railways and private sector will jointly run the trains from Sialkot junction railway station to Pasrur and from Sialkot to Wazirabad via Sambrial. He said that each of these trains would carry 1,800 passengers. The local trains will be carrying Wi-Fi and canteen facilities.
“The local trains will have eight bogies each to facilitate the local people,” the official said.
“Elderly people and children under the age of 10 years will enjoy free journey while the students will get 50% special discount,” he pointed out.
He said that the project had been kicked off under the Pakistan Railways rehabilitation work of the railway stations lying deserted for years.
Earlier in 2017, the Pakistan Railways finalised arrangements for the upgrade and construction of more than 50,000 kilometres of tracks across the country on build, operate and transfer (BOT) basis.
