LAHORE: Minister for Railways Hanif Abbasi says that restoration of traffic on Lahore-Faisalabad (via Sheikhupura) railway track will take at least four months, as the recent devastating flood played havoc in the area, damaging a bridge and a portion of the traclc badly.
‘The situation, after the flood, demands construction of a new bridge and the track that will take around four months approximately,’ he said whiletalking to Dawn on Sunday.
‘I have ordered for carrying out a feasibility report in this regard that will take at least 20 days. After this, the construction work will start for a new bridge along with the new track. I can challenge that no one can do this work within a period before four months,’ he explained.
Earlier, the officials had said that the route would be restored within a month.
According to the minister, the railways had already made alternate arrangements to run the trains (on this route) through other routes. Those bound for Karachi and other destinations in the southviaFaisalabadhave been assigned the route via Sahiwal and Khanewal on main line-1. Similarly, those bound for Faisalabad route have been put on other local routes to operate so that therecould be no deficit in the revenue.
On Sunday, Mr Abbasi also carried out a detailed inspection of the railway bridge and track affected by the recent floods near Missan Kalar (Sheilchupura district).
Accompanied by Railways CEO Muhammad Hafizullah, AGM Infrastructure Hammad Hassan Mirza, divisional superintendent Lahore and other senior railway officers, the minister travelled on a railway trolley to inspect the affected section and reviewed the condition of the bridge and track. He was given a detailed briefing by the railways CEO and officers concerned on the damage to the affected portion of the bridge and track, suspension of trafHc, current situation and the proposed restoration measures.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr Abbasidirected the relevant authorities to prepare and submit a feasibility report for the restoration of the bridge within 20 days, covering all necessary technical and construction requirements.
He stated that following completion of the feasibility report, the civil work forreconstruction of the bridge and restoration of the affected railway track should be undertaken by the PR engineers. He was of the view that the restoration work must be completed expeditiously while ensuring all required safety standards and technical specifications.
The federal minister urged officers and employees to fulfill their responsibilities to facilitate the restoration of operations, adding that the passenger convenience and the safe movement of trains remained the top priority.