Lahore:
The Punjab government plan to exploit the first high -speed train from Pakistan between Lahore and Rawalpindi appears far from reality, while senior rail officials qualify the idea of ”dream” given the country’s outdated rail infrastructure and the immense financial requirements.
Depending on the details, while Punjab leadership is eager to introduce a quick rail system, a complete overhaul of tracks, stations, signals, coaches, engines and support systems would be necessary for a high -speed train, not to mention a high -speed train.
The officials said that the current rail infrastructure is not able to bear speeds greater than 100 km / h.
“It’s a dream,” said a senior railway official, speaking under the cover of anonymity.
They pointed out that the cost per kilometer for a high -speed train project was exorbitant because it would require $ 40 million per km if it was executed by an American company and 17 to 20 million dollars per km for Chinese companies.
Railway managers have nevertheless written various proposals for a high -speed alternative. Federal Minister of Railways Hanif Abbasi, in a conversation with L’Express PK Press Club, confirmed the ambition. “We already have coaches who could support high-speed trips, but the tracks are not compatible,” he said.
“However, we are determined to execute this project. After consultations with Minister -in -chief Punjab Maryam Nawaz, our goal is to reduce the journey time between Lahore and Rawalpindi to 2.5 hours. The Punjab will finance the project.”
The road of 280 kilometers, however, has several challenges because several initiates are not optimistic.
Experts say that even marginal speed improvements would require massive investments, potentially ranging between 200 billion rupees and 300 billion rupees, and years of development.
Currently, the fastest service, the green line of the railways of Pakistan, takes 4 to 4.5 hours to finish the trip. Other trains take 5 to 5.5 hours.
Officials point out that the Lahore-Rawalpindi track was winding and uneven, with steep slopes and declines that make travel at high speed dangerous. There are also three bridges on the route which would need a complete reconstruction to support the required speed.
“We do not even have engines or coaches adapted to a high -speed train. Forget high -speed trains, even the improvement in average speeds will need hundreds of billions and an appropriate plan, said a senior rail official.
He said that ball trains completely required new systems, as shown by Japan, China and some European countries where speeds vary between 200 and 500 km / h, and even more today. He added that even if nothing is “impossible”, the country must be realistic. Even in the United States, no high-speed train network in its own right exists. Instead, a high -speed system could be a viable and relatively affordable alternative. He also noted that work on the main line 1 (ML -1) – A vital infrastructure project – has been blocked since 2015.
“If ML-1 is finished, we will not even need a high-speed train. This is the key. Everything should be built from zero for a flea system. Given the cost, we should seriously engage China to finish ML-1. This is the best option for the moment,” he added.
The price of the ticket provided for a high -speed train also raises accessibility problems. The price could exceed 15,000 rupees at 20,000 rupees per passenger, which makes it inaccessible for most travelers.
He compared it to the high -speed railway from Haramain High Speed from Arabia, which costs 130 to 220 Saudi riyals (around 10,000 rupees at 18,000 rupees), a rate made viable thanks to heavy government subsidies. In Europe, high -speed trains prices are often twice as expensive as regular trains.
