ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday directed authorities to hire international economic and legal experts to advise the government on international railway projects and to improve regional rail connectivity. 

Pakistan’s government has been struggling to overhaul its railways sector, which has been running in losses and depending on frequent government bailouts. The railways, with its old tracks and bridges, has not tried to fully privatize but has outsourced parts of its operations.

Pakistan is involved in several regional railway projects, such as the Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan railway project and the Islamabad–Tehran–Istanbul (ITI) railway project, linking Pakistan to Iran and Turkiye via the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO). 

Sharif chaired a meeting on Saturday to review reforms related to the railways sector, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in a statement. 

“The prime minister instructed that international-standard legal and economic experts be engaged for Pakistan Railways, particularly for regional connectivity and international train link projects,” the PMO said. 

Sharif pointed out that railways is the backbone of any country’s economy, directing officials to pursue a public-private partnership model for matters related to railway properties and lands.

The premier was briefed about the government’s efforts to reform the sector. He was informed that the government has ensured the availability of free WiFi at Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi and Faisalabad railway stations. 

Officials told the prime minister that free WiFi would also be provided at another 48 railway stations by Dec. 31. 

The prime minister was briefed that ATM machines are being installed at railway stations, while cleaning services at railway stations have been outsourced to improve sanitation standards.

Sharif was also informed that all four provincial food authorities have been granted access to ensure high standards of food quality at railway stations across the state.

Officials said the operations of four trains have already been outsourced while those of 11 more will be outsourced “soon.”

“This outsourcing is expected to generate an additional Rs8.5 billion [$30.2 million] in revenue,” the PMO said.

Pakistan has undertaken recent efforts to improve its railways’ performance as it struggles to escape a macroeconomic crisis that has triggered a balance of payments crisis and strained its forex reserves.