The Pakistan Railways is expanding the scope of CPEC to explore the "Gateway of Prosperity" for both countries and the region at large through the advancement of the railways sector, reports WealthPK citing an official document. The department considers CPEC as a long-term development project, as it has the potential to serve as a corridor with multiple doors connecting China with the Central Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Europe, says the document. It says the Chinese and Pakistani workforce, in a large number, was employed to ensure timely completion of the infrastructure projects. There are also new projects launched such as Sukkur-Hyderabad Motorway (M-6), Peshawar-DI Khan Motorway (M-14), KKH Alternative Route (Gilgit-Shandor-Chitral), Swat Expressway (Phase-II), Dir Expressway, and Karachi Circular Railways.

The Pakistan Railways is providing one of the key modes of transport in the public sector which promotes national integration and economic growth, it added. The department has a total of 466 locomotives for a 7,791km route. During July-March FY2022, the gross earnings were recorded at Rs43.73 billion. The modern transportation and communication system is one of the key inputs for achieving sustainable economic growth. A network of roads, highways, motorways, seaports, and airlines in a country makes it the centre of economic activity by attracting investment, raising productivity, and reducing the cost of doing business.

According to the document, the government is committed to upgrading the transportation and communication system with the development of new roads, highways motorways, railway tracks, and airports to improve connectivity under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor. The CPEC is a pragmatic step for converting the unique geo-strategic location of Pakistan into geo-economics through various transport-related projects that will transform the road infrastructure of Pakistan and improve access to Central Asian, African, and European states, it added.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan-WealthPk