Updated on
Summary Pakistan Railways remained profitable for 48 long years of its history.
It earned Rs 70.71 million in 1948 and ended up incurring the loss of Rs 44 billion at the end. The remnants of 40-years-old annual reports in the library of Railways Headquarters bear an enough testimony to the departments glorious past. In 1958, its profit was doubled to Rs 140.43 million.Towards the end of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto’s regime in 1977, the department earned Rs 59 million. In 1987, General Zia-ul-Haq laid the foundation of National Logistic Cell as a freight service. In 1984, the Railways went into loss and in the next ten years, there occurred a loss of ten percent which was subsidized by the government. Today railways line has been shortened by 205 kilometres.There were 821 engines and out of them only 80 have survived. In 1977 the maximum of over 140 million people travelled through trains. There used to run 250 goods trains in 1977.In 1948 there used to be 77 passengers and 92 goods trains running in the North Western railways system. Goods trains now virtually have been stopped altogether while only 63 passengers trains are running on dwindling routes.
Featured
