Federal Minister for Railways Hanif Abbasi has issued a one-year directive to eliminate engineering restrictions on the ML-1 railway line, in a bid to reduce travel durations across key routes, Express News reported.
Chairing a meeting at the Railway Headquarters in Lahore on Monday, Abbasi was briefed on infrastructure development and reviewed the performance of various railway divisions. He instructed authorities to take immediate steps toward improving travel times along ML-1, Pakistan’s main railway corridor.
The minister also directed that work on the Karachi–Hyderabad (Kemari–Hyderabad) section be initiated without delay and called for the acceleration of track rehabilitation projects.
Abbasi set specific deadlines for infrastructure improvements, instructing the project director to deliver ready-to-install sleepers within six months. He also urged that a two-year project be completed within one year and four tamping machines be made operational by the end of the year.
Citing Shehbaz Sharif’s model of fast-tracked development from his days as Punjab CM, Abbasi encouraged the railways administration to follow suit and increase freight revenue while addressing revenue leakages.
To improve efficiency and transparency, the minister announced upgrades to the passenger train online booking system and ordered the freight train booking process to be fully digitized, eliminating human interference.
Abbasi requested a list of unauthorised residents in railway colonies and imposed a complete ban on retired officials and unrelated individuals staying at railway rest houses.
He also issued a performance target: achieve 90–95% punctuality in train operations within three months. “I will personally monitor train punctuality — no train will be delayed for anyone, including the minister,” he stressed.
Further directives included improving cleanliness and food quality on trains. Abbasi also announced that he would conduct surprise visits to stations and offices — without prior notice or staff — to assess on-ground performance.
Monthly performance reviews for Divisional Superintendents (DSs) will be enforced. The meeting also approved the installation of elevators at all major railway stations, starting with Rawalpindi.
