Pakistan Acquires Technology for Partial Manufacturing of Railway Engines

(Digital Ittila) Pakistan Railways has taken another step forward in the field of modernization and self-reliance. A practical demonstration of technology transfer was conducted at the Locomotive Factory in Risalpur, where 102 locomotives of various types were partially manufactured. The Risalpur factory possesses the capacity to manufacture 25 locomotives annually and is currently engaged in upgrading 16 locomotives for the railways. Meanwhile, the production of high-speed passenger coaches has commenced at the Carriage Factory in Islamabad, which has an annual capacity to manufacture 120 passenger coaches. In Mughalpura, Lahore, the manufacturing of freight wagons with a speed capacity of 160 km/h is underway. To enhance capacity, a project to manufacture freight wagons with a capacity of over 800 tons is planned, while the assembly of wagons with a capacity of over 115 tons is already ongoing at the Risalpur factory. The outsourcing of three passenger trains has already been completed, and the railway department has decided to outsource an additional 15 trains, with an auction scheduled for next month to hand them over to the private sector. The Railways Minister acknowledged that Pakistan Railways has suffered losses for 45 years; however, it is estimated that 24.7 billion rupees annually will be generated through the outsourcing of trains. A record revenue of over 93 billion rupees was achieved in 2024-25.