Islamabad: Pakistan Railways has forged strategic partnerships with a Chinese and a Pakistani company to lay optical fiber cables along critical railway routes, as reported on September 4.
As per details, the agreement with the Chinese firm, optical fiber cables will be installed along the Main Line-1 (ML-1) route, which extends from Kemari to Peshawar Cantt. Pakistan Railways has already received an advance payment of PKR 256 million for this project. Meanwhile, the second agreement grants a Pakistani company the rights to lay cables from Kemari to Lodhran, with an advance payment of PKR 135 million made to Pakistan Railways.
Both agreements have an initial term of three years, with the option for extension based on future developments. The agreements were signed by Pakistan Railways’ Chief Executive Officer, Amir Ali Baloch. Speaking at the signing ceremony, Baloch underscored the importance of these collaborations in boosting the organization’s revenue. “Pakistan Railways is actively exploring various avenues to increase its revenue, and these agreements represent a major milestone in that endeavor. The involvement of both national and international companies is a positive development that will pave the way for further beneficial ventures in the future,” he said.
Baloch also touched on ongoing efforts in the Quetta Division, where teams are working to restore Balochistan’s rail connection to the rest of the country within two weeks. He assured that train services will resume immediately if the security situation allows. Additionally, he addressed recent disruptions in train schedules caused by heavy rains, expressing confidence that regular services will be fully restored by the end of the month.
