ISLAMABAD: Despite financial difficulties and monsoon season floods, Pakistan Railways made Rs41 billion in revenue in the first half of the current fiscal year 2023–24.
According to an official in the Ministry, the department generated Rs28 billion during the first half of the previous fiscal year (2022–2023), representing a 46% increase in revenues during the same period in the current fiscal year (2023–24).
According to the data, he said that the passenger train industry brought in Rs 24 billion of the Rs 41 billion in revenue, while the freight sector brought in Rs 11 billion.
The official said that other sectors of the department added around Rs5.5 billion to the total revenue generation.
He stated that the number of passenger trains operated by Pakistan Railways has increased to 96 from 86 in the previous year. Comparably, it ran 3.75 freight trains on average the year before, compared to seven freight trains this year.
According to him, the department stressed that once work on the Mainline-I (ML-I) project begins, things will be more streamlined and the issue of employee salary delays has been rectified.
According to the source, Pakistan Railways has raised both its passenger and freight tariffs in response to inflationary pressures brought on by rising fuel prices. This move is expected to improve revenue collections for the financially beleaguered company over the coming months.
In response to a question, he stated that Pakistan Railways has strengthened preventative efforts to lower passenger train accidents and that, during the previous three months, there have only been six minor incidents nationwide that have resulted in no fatalities.
“Thanks to the department’s effective measures, there were only two train accidents in September, no accidents in October, and four train accidents in November,” he continued.
