Institutional Arrangements for Reforming and Developing the Railways Sector Part (6/8)

Pakistan’s railway sector is not “on rails” and the sector seems to be wrapped around a single institution, Pakistan Railways (PR)—managed collectively by the Ministry of Railways (MoR) and PR. The crisis in PR started in the 1970s and continues to this date. The passenger traffic has reduced, freight traffic has truncated, revenues have scaled down while working expenses have soared. Most of the locomotives are found in warehouses in need of spare parts. There are many reasons behind the failure of the Railway sector in Pakistan such as Ineffective policy formation, Political Interference, the conceptual disconnection between MoR and PR, etc. there is missing participation of the private sector we should contracting rather than Public-Private Partnership in PR. Mostly, subsidies are consumed by pay, pension, fuel, etc. but it does not use for improvement in the sector. Well planned, safe, better maintained, and regionally connected transport infrastructure is the key to unlocking the economic growth potential of Pakistan.