http://www.dawn.com/2005/08/02/top16.htm



UK offers rail track services

ISLAMABAD, Aug 1: United Kingdom has offered its services to Pakistan for laying a rail track from Karachi to Gawadar. British Deputy High Commissioner Hamish Daniel made this offer in a meeting with Minister for Railway Shamim Haider here on Monday.

The minister said Pakistan would take full advantage of the modern British railway technology and technical know-how to make our railway system modern and more effective.

The minister also informed the High Commissioner of the initiatives being taken by the government to avoid rail accidents. Hamish Daniel talked about the provision of front wagons by the British government for Pakistan Railways and invited the minister for railways to United Kingdom to personally see the railway system there. — APP

Oh please !

The UK has one of the worst railways in Europe.
I know I live here.
It,s on the news almost every month.

Turn to Japan.

The Bullet-Train

The railroad from karachi to gwadar probably won't be for passanger trains...At least in the next decade or so...

At the very least we should appreciate the offer.

I agree with Adeel. I mean we should'nt beg for help, but if we're being offered we should not shun it. All the help to improve the infrastructure of Pakistan is appreciated, just because the UK Rail Network isn't in the tops doesn't mean it's not better than ours. And you most of all saying something like that...I mean after all you've left Pakistan to go live in the UK...most likely for the sake of having a bit better living standards than that of in Pakistan.

I'm sorry I did'nt mean to bash you, but we should still appreciate the help...whatever is necessary to improve our country.

we need a high speed passanger service aswell as a high capacity frieght service...

we should focus on our own companies for the job.

We need something that will last.

the main problem of pakistan rail network, in my opiono, is the use of only one track for both directions

they need to lay two tracks, one for each direction

and this should be done across the country, that accident a few weeks back would not have happened if there were two tracks, or at least it would not be as bad (less people would have gotten hurt)

that's is what we need help with fixing

Well, along w/ that ISI, we need to make Domestic Air Travel more affordable and cheaper. So we take of this heavy dependency on Railway for passenger travels.
And in a few years, use Rails only for Cargo, etc.!

actually that can only happen when more people have more disposable income

if our nation was similar to the eastern coast of china, then plane travel would be totally feasible, but at the moment train travel is the most cost effective way

europe, which is still rich, has train travel (between cities close), but america usually has east coast/west coast travel of 3000 miles

so pakistan is more like europe, where major cities are all along the route

so train travel is the way pakistan is going to be doing for the foreseable future

Exactly what are the details of this offer? Long term interest free (or very low interest) loans; engineering surveys and construction assistance; transfer of technologies on rolling stocks and locomotive; hardwares and softwares on signal and communication; computerized scheduling and trip management;...

I think Pakistan should look into this.

This is great news.. the British firm while building this track would train pakistani engineers in how to build such tracks etc.. when pakistanis have the knowledge we wont need the brits next time :D

you guys are forgetting that when brithish railway lines have a leaf on them or the 'wrong kind of snow falls' or it gets too wet the trains stop running. I know because i live here as well!

This is great news.. the British firm while building this track would train pakistani engineers in how to build such tracks etc.. when pakistanis have the knowledge we wont need the brits next time :D

Without doubt the British have more know how than us in Railways but when you compare French technology of Railway than you will observe that British technology is nowhere near to the market leaders (France & Japan).

The Eurostar between France & UK has to slow down after reach England due to British rails inability to have a functioning railway line above 180-200kms !

we don't need or are not building a high speed train system, so a simple normal speed train tracks for normal speed trains is what we need

something like this to go both ways, at max speed, btw this is a picture of a section of a british rail line

we should not have a system of one track!!!
Pakistan rail ine, ONLY ONE TRACK

US train track, 2 LINES, ONE IN EACH DIRECTION

and the trains can run non-stop for 2-3 hours at 50 mph, without fear of crashing into other trains

Your points all noted,and we all agree that the British technology isnt that great,but i doubt we will have 180-200km freight trains(atleast not int he forseeable future,although train tracks have the tendency of lasting decades).But i see a case of technology dumping!!!!A common practice in Pakistan,sadly.

DUDE .... both India and Pakistan use the railway infrastructure built by the Brits.

If that infrastructure is British, then we definately need to get something better.

And it isnt the best in the world.Besides it was mainly built to move raw materials from the continent interior to the ports.

ohh. r u referring to the pre-partition railway system?

Pakistan some days ago already tested PAssenger train that can speed upto 140 KM, although it was tested on 40 KM long track but it topped 140KM and work has already started to upgraded and lay new tracks from Lahore to Karachi. It would be finished in 2006.

are these two tracks, for each direction or one track for both directions

re these two tracks, for each direction or one track for both directions

ISI .. normally two tracks means up stream and down stream .. i.e; 1 line going in 2 directions .

Yeah .. i had heard too ... don't worry when I saw Gen. Musharaff at the 3 train disaster site i said to myself .. $hit now PR is in full review .. their joint a$$ will be put on the oven !!

It will not surprise me that in 3 years we will have a major turn around (if not already thanks to the present Education minister - ex-Lt. Gen.) as Railway is a major mode of cheap transportation.