Govt to Provide Railway Access to Thar Coal Mines and Port Qasim
Pakistan has decided to link Thar Coal mines and Port Qasim with Pakistan Railways (PR) Network by constructing a new 105-kilometer Railway track.The Ministry of Planning, Development, and Reforms has completed PC-1 of Thar Coal Rail Connectivity with the existing Railway Network including last-mile connectivity with the Port.
The CDWP was supposed to consider this project in the last meeting held on December 22, 2022, but sources say that it has not been approved.
Sources added that the total cost of Rs. 59.250 billion would be financed through the Public Sector Development Program and Annual Development Plan on an equal cost-sharing basis.
The project envisages, the construction of a 105-kilometer long including 24.58-kilometer Loop lines new single line Railway track infrastructure from Thar Coal Mines to the new Chhor Station and the construction of an 18-kilometer long new double-line track (09-Kilometer on each side), includes 4.20-kilometer long loop lines, from Bin Qasim to Port Qasim.
The scope of work of the project included the construction of seven railway stations along the railway route along with fourteen platforms, out of seven stations, two major stations will be established at Thar Coal Mines and New Chhor Station respectively while five intermediate stations will be established between two major stations.
Robust signaling and telecommunication infrastructure will be provided to ensure a safe and uninterrupted supply of coal.
The document states that the coal demand in Pakistan is mainly driven by two major sectors as Power Sector and Cement Industry. The demand for coal will further increase due to upcoming capacity additions in both Power and Cement sectors.
With the successful commercial operation of indigenous coal power plants in Thar Coal fields, it is imperative the growing coal demand should be met through Thar Coal to displace imported coal.
Such initiatives have already been noticed where upcoming coal-based power capacity addition is being designed on Thar Coal.
The electricity infrastructure such as the provision of grid power (at major stations), on-site gen sets, and solar power (at intermediate stations) will be provided to supply power to the equipment at stations. In order to protect the track against flash flooding during seasonal and extreme rainfall, intermittent culverts will be provided to allow the flow of flood water across the track.
The project has been designed to provide reliable and efficient railway infrastructure to break the geographical barriers of Thar coal and enable its transportation across the country and provide an environmentally friendly mode of coal transportation.
If transported by railway, the environmental pollution will be minimal besides reducing traffic congestion on roads.
The project to enable the utilization of indigenous Thar coal to bring the import bill in line with Pillar-II of Pakistan Vision 2025 and enable expansion of Thar coal to rationalize fuel cost thus bringing reduction in the cost of production of electricity besides ensuring uplift of the local populace of Tharparkar through the generation of royalty and job creation.