CEO Pak Railways, US Consul General discuss CPEC, Railway links

United States Consul General Yuriy Fedkiw met the Chief Executive Officer of Pakistan Railways, Muhammad Javed Anwar in Lahore today.

During their meeting, matters related to freight operation, the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and railway links with central Asian states were discussed, reports Radio Pakistan.

Mr. Fedkiw expressed the view that an effective freight operation could go a long way in reducing environment pollution.

Mr. Anwar highlighted plans for introducing modern singling systems to reduce pollution.

Pakistan Railways, formerly also known as the Pakistan Western Railway between 1947 to 1974, is the a national state-owned railway company of Pakistan.

Founded in 1861 and headquartered in Lahore, it owns 7,400 miles (11,881 km) of track across Pakistan, stretching from Torkham to Karachi and operates both freight and passenger train services.

In 2014, the Ministry of Railways launched "Pakistan Railways Vision 2025" which, along with the Rs.886.68 billion (USD 8.5 billion) China-Pakistan Economic Corridor railway upgrade, seeks to reinvigorate Pakistan Railways by increasing its share in the transportation sector from four to 20 percent by 2025.

The plans include the acquisition of new locomotives, developing and improving current rail infrastructure, increasing average train speeds, improving punctuality and expanding passenger services.

The first phase of the project will be completed in December 2017, while the second phase will be completed by 2021.

Pakistan Railways is an active member of the International Union of Railways.