Railways to submit PC-1 of new link track

The Ministry of Railways would soon submit PC-1 for linking new railway tracks after completion of feasibility report on various routes of Pakistan Railway.

The new tracks included Gwadar Mastung via 906 kilo meters and Basima with Jacobabad via Khuzdar 300 kilo meters, a long term project envisaged for 2025-30.

Sources in the Ministry of Railway said a feasibility study of both routes is being conducted. “The study is at advance stages and upon the completion of feasibility study, PC-I will be prepared for approval from the competent forum”, they added.

Various land parcels required for the implementation of said project have been identified under the aforesaid feasibility study, they said.

They said that at present, acquisition of land at Gwadar is in progress. In this regard 285 acres for Railway Container Yard and 73.68 acres for Right of Way (ROW) have since acquired under approved PC-I (Rs 1332.502 million).

The sources said approximately, 200 acres additional land for Railway Station and Container Yard besides 27.350 acres ROW are being acquired under another PC-I submitted to Ministry of Railways for which Rs 5.000 million have been allocated by the Planning Commission during the current financial year, 2017-18.

Regarding acquisition of land from Gwadar to Mastung via Basima and from Basima to Jacobabad via Khuzdar, they said a PC-I amounting tentatively Rs 5.000 million is being submitted for approval by the Planning Commission and Rs 400 million have also been allocated by the Planning Commission during the financial year, 2017-18 for project activities.

They said that the existing railway line from Rohri to Kohi-Taftan via Quetta including the realignment of Sibi-Spezand section (1022 kilo meters) and rail link from Quetta to Kotla Jam (538 kilometers) is also being upgraded.

The line is called as ML-III which will be used for exploitation of full capacity of Gwadar Port and anticipated traffic from China after establishment of China-Pak Economic Corridor (CPEC), they said.