(Pakistan) Fuel crisis hits railways’ freight service

[phantom power]

LAHORE: Of the several freight trains that were supposed to leave Karachi for upcountry destinations on Sunday, only one did so amid a fuel crisis.

The problem began on Saturday when a cheque for Rs700 million issued by Pakistan Railways to Pakistan State Oil was not honoured. The PSO subsequently stopped the supply of fuel to Railways.

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“Some 30 freight trains had to be stationed in yards near major railway stations across the country. We do not have funds for payment to the PSO for procuring high-speed diesel and TBN-13 to keep all the freight trains running,” said the officer of the PR’s commercial branch.

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Answering a question, the officer said the Railways had not received a single penny from the Rs11.1 billion package recently approved by the cabinet.

http://www.dawn.com/2011/01/10/fuel-crisis-hits-railways%E2%80%99-freight-service.html