Railways pension expenditure exceeds salaries budget

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Railways deficit has increased from Rs35 billion to Rs46 billion, according to an annual report seen by Geo News on Wednesday.

The report revealed that the Railways has fewer employees and more ex-workers who are now pensioners. According to the report, the employees have reduced to 67,627. The Railways has to pay a whopping Rs31.42 billion to pensioners and has to allocate another Rs28.21 billion for its employees. The report showed that the number of railway locomotives, passenger coaches, and freight coaches also decreased. The number of railway locomotives has gone down from 478 to 472, while the coaches have reduced from 1,460 to 1,378, the report stated.

The freight vehicles have gone down from 16,159 to 14,327, the report added.

Meanwhile, on a positive note, the number of railway stations and passengers increased during the year 2020, the report added.

In a meeting with Sindh Governor Imran Ismail in Islamabad on Wednesday, Minister for Railways Azam Khan Swati said steps were being taken for the revival of Railways. On the occasion, steps to modernise Karachi Circular Railway were reviewed.