Railway is regarded as the backbone of any country’s economy and sometimes considered as the lifeline of the country. Pakistan Railways, lifeline of the country, is a national state-run transport service. It is under the administration of federal government and its headquarter is in Lahore. It is an important source of transportation throughout Pakistan. It carries millions of passengers throughout the country. It is used to carry huge freight in Pakistan. Pakistan has a rich railway heritage spanning almost 200 years which it owes the British. It was in 1847 when the first railway was imagined but it was not until 1861 when it came into existence in the form of a railway line built from Karachi to Kotri. Pakistan has stayed true to this rich heritage because since rail transport is possibly the most popular mode of non-independent transport in Pakistan.
This cheap and safe mode for passengers is now facing a number of issues. However, unfortunately the Pakistan Railways has reached the verge of collapse owing to some causes. Mismanagement, corruption, nepotism, lack of locomotives, poor maintenance of tracks and bridges, the political interference, circular debt and lack of political will have inflicted heavy damages upon the Pakistan Railways system. Today, Pakistan Railways has derailed. But it has not yet gone out of hand; it is high time to take some drastic and concrete initiatives to bring railway system of Pakistan back on its track.
SWERA IJAZ
Karachi
