Technology
Pakistan Railways and GE celebrate the Arrival of the First Seven of 55 Strengthens Transportation Infrastructure with 55 GE EVO SeriesTM locomotives to Pakistan
As part of the Pakistan Railways agreement signed in June 2015, GE Transportation’s first delivery of GE Evolution Series™ locomotives arrived at Karachi Port. The arrival of seven of 55 units signifies the organizations’ commitment to strengthening Pakistan’s rail infrastructure. To commemorate the milestone, more than 200 senior government officials, private sector partners and media attended a ceremonial luncheon at the port.
Modernizing the transportation infrastructure and improving regional connectivity is a key goal of the Government of Pakistan under its Vision 2025. Over the next ten years, the government aims to increase the share of rail in transportation from 4 percent to 20 percent, which will help lower both the costs and environmental impact of moving goods across the country. The remaining locomotives are expected to be delivered to Pakistan Railways this year, reflecting the company’s support to Pakistan’s vision, and its commitment to bring GE’s latest technologies to help improve the efficiency of the transportation infrastructure in the country.
Speaking on the significance of the occasion, Mr. Javed Anwer Bubak, Chief Executive Officer of Pakistan Railways stated, “Strengthening the transportation and logistics infrastructure is crucial to support Pakistan’s economy. Each locomotive will be used to haul up to 3,400 tons of freight and the seven locomotives are expected to help Pakistan Railways generate substantial revenues of up to Rs. 13 billion per year. We are glad to partner on this initiative with GE, which is well-known throughout the world for its reliability, innovation and superior technology.”
The CEO of Pakistan Railways further elaborated, that the Evolution SeriesTM of locomotives manufactured by GE has state of the art technology and Pakistan has become the first country in South Asia to import and use this latest technology in South Asia.
“GE has been a committed partner to Pakistan Railways for more than 35 years. Our locomotives are among the best performing within Pakistan Railways’ fleet,” said Sarim Sheikh, President & CEO, GE Pakistan. “These new locomotives will provide better fuel efficiency and longer overhaul cycles than other units in Pakistan today, substantially reducing the costs of transporting essential freight. We are proud to be able to provide this much-needed technology and help develop the future of the country’s transportation sector in collaboration with Pakistan Railways.”
The GE locomotives will be used exclusively to haul freight, and will primarily transport coal supplies from Port Qasim in Karachi to Sahiwal. Five trains will run daily for this purpose, carrying 12,000 tons of freight.
GE’s Evolution SeriesTM locomotives are the result of a 10 year, US$400 million investment. The locomotives that have been delivered are designed for the harsh environmental conditions of Pakistan, including high temperatures. They have a horsepower greater than 4,500, an 8,000 litre fuel tank and can pull 40 high capacity wagons each. They are also a part of GE’s Ecomagination portfolio, to qualify for which, products must demonstrate both improved economic value and environmental performance.
