China to upgrade Pakistan’s 1872 kilometers railway track

Under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) program, some 20 Chinese engineers have arrived Pakistan for creating a pattern of a railway track. The length of this track will be 1872 kilometers, and it will connect Karachi, Peshawar, and Havelian. The engineers will collaborate with the team of Project Implantation Unit (PIU) to complete the railway track design by December 2016.

The feasibility report for the up gradation of the railway track from Karachi to Peshawar and Havelian has already been created.

According to the sources, the design will suggest the points where the new track needs to be laid and the places where the level crossings need to be constructed. The conditions of the flyovers will also be shown in the design. A double railway line will be built between Peshawar and Rawalpindi. It has been decided to increase the axle load of the train from the old weight of 22.6 ton to the new weight of 25 ton.

In the same way, the number of train platforms will also be increased under the CPEC program so that the train would not stop outside the platform and the passengers could sit on the train from the platform.

According to the sources, the Chinese engineers met with the senior officials of the railways while 20 more Chinese engineers will arrive Pakistan in the coming days.

A report will be created within four months after the completion of the design. Work on this project is expected to be started from the next year. After the conclusion of the design, the cost of the project would be estimated, after which, an international tender would be issued.

It has been decided to start a high-speed train from Lahore to Multan that would run at a speed of 160 km per hour. The train between Multan and Karachi would operate at a speed of 120 kilometers per hour. The speed of the trains will be increased step-by-step. On the second phase, a second railway line will be constructed between Shahdara and Rawalpindi