ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Railways is in the final stages of preparations to reopen the Sibi-Harnai railway track for rail traffic, with approximately 99 percent of the reconstruction work already completed.
The remaining work is expected to be finished soon. According to sources within the Ministry of Railways, the railway track had been rendered non-functional due to a series of bomb blasts that damaged 22 steel bridges in the rugged and inaccessible terrain of the area.
The reconstruction and renovation of the strategically important Sibi-Harnai railway track have been carried out with the support of the National Logistics Cell (NLC).
Officials have shown a strong commitment to expediting the project’s completion and have urged the relevant authorities to finish it as soon as possible.
In March 2016, a contract for the rehabilitation and restoration of the Sibi-Harnai railway track, along with the upgrade of railway stations, was awarded to the NLC. Other construction firms had declined the project due to security concerns and the scale of the task.
During the initial survey of the track, it was discovered that 22 steel bridges of various sizes needed replacement. Additionally, extensive river protection work was required to safeguard the infrastructure. The sheer volume of work, lack of road access, and necessary resources made the project exceptionally challenging.
Despite facing harsh weather conditions and a challenging security environment, NLC officers, engineers, and construction workers demonstrated their dedication and sense of duty by completing 99 percent of the rehabilitation work in a remarkably short time frame.
One of the most significant tasks involved fabricating steel bridges, assembled in Karachi, and then transported to the project site. A total of nine railway stations, including the reconstruction of Harnai Railway Station and a comprehensive renovation of Sibi Railways Station, were upgraded by NLC engineers. This would now be considered one of the finest railway stations in Balochistan. —APP
