Pakistan Railways expects to complete reconstruction and rehabilitation work on the vital Sibbi-Harnai railway route by the end of January 2023. The route became inoperable in 2006 after a series of bomb blasts. Officials from the railway ministry told the media that up to 22 steel bridges were destroyed on the track in extremely difficult-to-reach locations. 10 railway stations had become inoperable as a result of long-term improper maintenance.

About 95% of the reconstruction project work has, according to the officials, already been finished, and the remaining 5% will be soon. They stated that the project has caught the attention of the railway minister, who instructed the officials involved to finish it as soon as possible. In March 2016, the National Logistics Cell (NLC) was given the contract for the rehabilitation and restoration of the Sibbi-Harnai railway track as well as the upgrading of railway stations because no other construction company was willing to take on the project, given the current security situation and the size of the undertaking.

They said that 22 steel bridges of various sizes that were entirely wrecked and in need of replacement were found during the initial examination of the route. Significant river protection work is also being done in order to safeguard the infrastructure. The project is a tremendous task due to the sheer amount of labour, lack of road access, and necessary resources, the railway officials said. According to the railway officials, the NLC officers, engineers, and construction workers have overcome adverse weather conditions and a tough security environment to finish 95% of the restoration work in record time.

According to them, the main work was the construction of steel bridges, which were manufactured in Karachi and meticulously put together by NLC engineers before being delivered to the project site. They said a total of nine railway stations, along with railway tracks, have been renovated by the NLC engineers, including the Harnai Railway Station and Sibbi Railway Station, which can now be considered the best railway station in Balochistan.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-WealthPk