Source: Daily Times

By Hasan Ali

LAHORE: Pakistan Railways (PR) would buy 150 passenger coaches of different classes worth Rs 5.5 billion from China, sources told Daily Times on Monday.

They said that the department suffered a huge lost after the assassination of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Benazir Bhutto, as at least 100 coaches were damaged. The PR was facing huge problems in facilitating its customers due to which the ministry has approved the tender of making 150 passengers coaches.

“The Pakistan Railways will receive 50 of the 150 passenger coaches bought from China during the second week of February”, sources said adding that it is possible that the rest of locomotives would arrive in knockdown or semi knockdown condition and would be assembled in Risalpur locomotive factory.

“The railways network was very badly affected during the agitation and it will take more than one year for railways to come back in its actual position,” he said adding that besides the coaches the signal system of the authority has also totally damaged due to which the concerned staff has been facing many issues including the operation of trains beyond the schedule.

The basic reason behind purchasing the passenger coaches from China is to facilitate the passengers and resume the trains that were closed by the authority.

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Tags: , China, Coaches, Pakistan Railways