LAHORE: The Pakistan Railways has managed to temporarily avoid the closure of trains’ operations after paying Rs 103 million to the PSO and getting 230,000 liters that will keep the wheels running.
The past 24 hours saw a lot of tension because of the PR fuel reservoirs hitting a dead end and their efforts of procuring fuel from the open market not coming through. The state of the rail operations has been in total disarray, as trains have been trailing over 24 hours behind the schedule due to the dearth of fuel.
The PR owed over Rs 510 million which practically meant that the PR was in no position to procure any more fuel because of its financial woes. The PR had to cancel the operations of Ghauri Express (Lahore-Faisalabad) on Monday due to the shortage of fuel. The PR is looking to prioritise its fuel for rail operations which has left its power houses short of fuel. These power houses provide electricity to the PR headquarter and the railway housing colonies. The 230,000 liter fuel (High Speed Diesel) reached the Lahore Railway Station at around 12:00 noon after which Allama Iqbal Express and Fareed Express could leave for their destinations after the delays of around eight hours. This current system of fuel is only sufficient to run the rail operations for the next 72 hours, and the PR will need to ensure smooth supply of fuel in this time.