Pakistan Railways is likely to get a loan of Rs 6 billion next week from the consortium of nationalised banks to repair its 96 locomotives. Railways General Manager (operations) Saeed Akhtar on Saturday said an agreement in this regard might be signed very soon. He said 96 faulty locomotives would be re-inducted to the railways fleet with the amount obtained from the banks. Under the plan, four locomotives would roll out of workshops within next two to three months and all the faulty locomotives would be brought back on track gradually, Akhtar said. He said freight train operation would also be restarted by next month and would help the organisation earn revenue. He said all out efforts were being made to restore the glory of Pakistan Railways. Akhtar said business train would start its operations by the end of the current moth under public-private ownership. Meanwhile, operations of 116 mail trains were suspended owing to the shortage of locomotives and only the main trains on the Lahore-Karachi, Lahore-Quetta and Lahore-Rawalpindi sections were operated. According to sources, railways had a few operational engines out of total 502, but on Saturday, just 88 locomotives were left in a position throughout the country to be operated. On the other hand, regular payment to the staff, including TA/DA and GP, has become a dream for employees, as railway authorities have used up the funds of staff for paying salaries and now waiting for the release of payment under the bailout package.
