As part of its effort to minimise the impact of differences in tariffs and line losses on electricity bills, Pakistan Railways has begun transferring its residential colonies to power distribution companies and K-Electric for direct billing. This action is expected to save about Rs. 1.8 billion, which will help strengthen the department's financial condition, a railway ministry official told the media. 

According to him, Pakistan Railways is also taking a number of additional steps to improve the department's financial health, including the launch of Railway Automated Booking and Travel Assistance (RABTA), a project aimed at enhancing consumer convenience. Using the RABTA platform, consumers can plan their travels, monitor the status of their trains, choose and buy seats, rent a vehicle, order food and drinks, and book accommodations, he said.

Online e-ticketing via Jazz Cash, UBL Omini, and credit cards has been implemented to help passengers at the door and draw in more customers by outsourcing non-core functions, he added. He said that Pakistan Railways is pursuing a programme of technology transfer in conjunction with China to indigenize railway rolling stock in its facilities. The official said the railway department is making every effort to increase punctuality by monitoring every train and evaluating and fixing any train detention.

He added that a smartphone application called Pakrail Live has been released to help passengers perform real-time train tracking. The on-time performance of trains has increased from 63% to 80% as a result of intensive monitoring at the divisional, headquarters, and ministry levels, he said. 

According to the official, Pakistan Railways started operating a cargo train between Islamabad, Tehran, and Istanbul last year after a nine-year break, which would maximise economic efficiency through regional connections. In order to transfer and unload coal quickly, high-capacity, high-speed hopper trucks have been added to the fleet, and new high-capacity, high-speed rolling stock coaches and waggons are being purchased, he added.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-WealthPk