58 locomotives

This refers to the news report, ‘58 locomotives recommended for railways’ (February 10). The import of 58 diesel electric locomotives would cost Rs16,300 million. A locomotive factory at Risalpur (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) has the capacity to manufacture 25 locomotives per annum if single shift operation is maintained. That means that the production can be tripled – 75 locomotives per year – if funds, additional manpower and equipment are made available.

This factory – spread over an area of 100 acres – was commissioned in 1993 and is equipped with the latest plant and machinery of the Japanese origin. The technology was acquired from Japan, USA, Germany and China. The locomotives manufactured in this factory have been successfully operating important mainline trains and are working equally well as compared to imported locomotives. One would like to know if the factory at Risalpur is still producing 25 locomotives per annum as per its capacity. If it does, then what is the need to import 58 locomotives?

Air Cdre (r) Azfar A Khan

Rawalpindi