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TRANSPORT AND TELECOMMUNICATION - Coggle Diagram
TRANSPORT AND TELECOMMUNICATION
Pakistan Railways
Pakistan Railways Layout:
• Pakistan's railway track extends to a total of 11899 kilometers.
• It has 54 train halts and 900 train stations in total.
• The railway extends from Karachi to Peshawar.
• There is a little-used line that goes extends from Peshawar to Afghanistan.
• There are also branch lines that extend from Nowshera to Dargai, Sukkur to Sibbi, Quetta to Chaman and Zahidan in Iran.
• The railway tracks are non-existence in the high mountains of north-western and northern areas.
• The railway cannot access Kalam, Skardu, Chitral, Mingora, and Gilgit.
• However, places at the foothills of mountains including Bannu, Peshawar, and Kohat are accessible via railway.
Reasons for the Railway Deterioration:
• It has a lack of investment.
• The rails and sleepers are worn out.
• The operations of railways are not very efficient.
• There is corruption in railways.
• There are several non-profitable stations.
• The reservation system is bad.
• There is only a single main track.
Development of Pakistan Railways since 1947:
• There was insufficient coal supply, therefore steam engines were replaced by diesel engines.
• Faster trains were introduced e.g. Shalimar Express that travel from Karachi to Lahore.
• Electric traction was given from Lahore to Khanewal that accumulates to 289 kilometers out of a total to 12625 kilometers.
• Several repair workshops were established in Sukkur, Jhelum, Islamabad, and Moghalpura.
• In 2002, work started to transform the single track to dual-track from Khanewal to Lodhran.
Recent Developments in Railways:
• The introduction of new services increased railway revenue.
• Efforts to build railway track to Gwadar that will connect Pakistan to CAS.
• The digitization of the ticket system and prevented the ticket black market.
• The introduction of a one-window ticketing system.
Revitalization of KCR (Karachi Circular Railway):
• It was in operation from the 1970s to the 1990s.
• It closed because of inefficiency and failure to meet the growing population's needs.
• The decision to reopen the KCR is still not taken.
• However, a proposal has been proposed for the expansion and reopening of KCR.
Salient Features of Proposal:
• It will be linked to newly built bridges and flyovers to provide effective rail-road links.
• KCR will be extended to provide access to suburb cities.
• The stations, ticketing system, and timetable will be improved.
Dry Ports
Functions of Dry Ports:
• Inland cities that do not have seaports or are far away have established dry ports.
• These ports are established to promote foreign trade.
• They can make import and export procedures faster.
Locations of Dry Ports:
• There are 9 dry ports in Pakistan.
• There are in Peshawar, Rawalpindi, Sialkot, Hyderabad, Quetta, Multan, Larkana, Faisalabad and Lahore.
Aims of Establishment of Dry Ports:
• To fasten the checking and clearance process of Cargo.
• To reduce the burden from port Qasim and Karachi port.
• For the smooth collection of profit by the government.
• To provide easy transportation from production point to seaport.
• To increase trade activities (foreign) in the cities that are not in proximity to seaports.
Requirements for Establishing Dry Ports:
• To build a dry port, there should be an efficient rail transport in place to carry bulk and heavy cargo.
• The managerial staff should be efficient.
• They need open areas and huge storage shed.
• There should be a refrigeration facility available for perishable goods.
• There should be an efficient road network.
Roads & Motorways
Principal Roads of Pakistan:
The National Highway:
• It is also known as “The N5” and “Grand Trunk Road”.
• It extends from Karachi through Lahore, Peshawar, and Turkham for about 1260 kilometers.
The Indus Highway:
• It extends to 1204 kilometers.
• It covers Karachi to Kotri, Kotri to Dadu, Shikarpur, Dera Ismail Khan, Larkana, and Dera Ghazi Khan.
The RCD Highway:
• It extends over 600 kilometers.
• It connects Karachi to Quetta.
• It also connects Pakistan to Turkey and Iran.
Route 50:
• It connects Lahore to Quetta.
Route 65:
• It connects Sukkur to Quetta.
Karakoram Highway:
• It connects Pakistan to China.
Karachi to Gwadar:
• A road that connects Karachi to Gwadar is under construction.
Principal Motorways of Pakistan:
• In 1997, Islamabad to Lahore Motorway was constructed that covers 339 kilometers.
• In 2007, Islamabad to Peshawar Motorway was completed named as ‘M-1’ that covers 155 kilometers.
• The Pindi Bhattian to Faisalabad Motorway named as ‘M-3’ covers 52 kilometers.
• The Karachi to Hyderabad Motorway named as ‘M-9’ covers 135 kilometers. This motorway was abandoned because of insufficient funds.
Importance of Motorways:
• Motorways made road transport efficient.
• It promoted the establishment of industrial estates on its routes.
• It promotes industrial growth as it supplies raw material to industries and goods to markets.
• The increase in industrial growth will also create new employment opportunities.
• The motorway can also be connected to CAS and Afghanistan to stimulate foreign trade.
Air Transport & Water Transport
Air Transport:
• It is the best transport for high-value light-weight items.
• It is the fastest transport available.
• Gilgit and Skardu are accessible via air transport.
• Air cargo for perishable items to the Middle East has stimulated.
• People visit other countries via air transport generally.
Factors for Construction of International Airports:
• The flat road is required for runway construction.
• The relief and climate are also considered for the construction of international airports for smooth operation all year round.
• The location should provide the smallest route to other countries.
• International airports should be built in the capital city to facilitate foreign diplomats and delegates.
• The proper infrastructure of cities is also a requirement.
• There should trade and industrial centers.
Water Transport:
Keamari Port:
• It is a natural seaport.
• It has several wharves i.e. a place where cargo loads/unloads.
• It receives cargo ships, tankers, and containers.
Modernization of Keamari Port:
• Support facilities have been provided for the transportation, storage, and unloading of liquid products.
• To bypass traffic congestion in the port area, flyover bridges are constructed.
• The increase in the volume of cargo is handled by the rehabilitation of berths.
• Measures have been taken for environmental protection and keeping the seawater clean.
• The storage facilities in East and West Wharves have been expanded.
• Cargo handling has been modernized by container terminals at West Wharf.
Port Qasim:
• It is another natural deep seaport of Pakistan.
• It relieves the workload on Keamari Port by utilizing modern machinery.
• It handles raw materials for Pakistan Steel Mill.
• It combines functions of industrial zones and multi-purpose deep seaport.
• It handles the cargo containing jute, LPG, iron ore, edible oil, grain, fertilizers, and coal.
• Industries include assemblies, cotton textiles, chemicals, paper, and board.
Gwadar Port:
• It is located at the Makran Coast, Balochistan.
• It can become a milestone event in Pakistan's economic development.
• If Gwadar Port is developed, then it will serve the country’s economy in the following ways:
It will facilitate the export of Balochistan’s fruits and result in Balochistan’s development.
If port Qasim or Keamari is affected in any way, then it can serve as a substitute port.
It can serve as an entrepot for CAS helping both Pakistan and Afghanistan’s economy.
CAS can open their warehouse at Gwadar port for storing export material.
Afghanistan can also store their export material at Gwadar port.
Telecommunications
• Telecommunication devices provide communication over long distances.
• It transmits images and sounds along the radio waves or wires by converting them into signals.
• They include fax, computers, radios, telephones, and televisions.
• The Internet is a new development in telecommunication, and it connects computers by satellite and telephone.
• The Internet allows the user to send/receive emails, create webs and visit webs anywhere in the world.
• Besides the internet, cell phones are also a recent development.
• Mobile devices allow people to communicate or access the internet wirelessly.
Importance of telecommunications in Pakistan:
Education:
• It can help in the promotion of education by making distance (online) learning possible.
• The internet is helping students in the classroom to take help and guidance from the resources and information available on the world web.
Industrial Development and Marketing:
• Easy and speedy access allows industries to help with new technologies as well as to order these advance types of machinery to improve the quality of products.
• Foreign companies can open their branches in Pakistan with the introduction of advanced telecommunication facilities.
• TV, radio and social media offer great advertisement and marketing mean to industries to acquire greater and international exposure.
• The Internet offers a mean to Pakistan to improve its export activities by finding market trends and opportunities.
• Pakistan can use the e-commerce market to increase its economy.
Shortcomings of Developing Telecommunications in Pakistan:
• Any breakdown or faults in the internet service can affect the industry’s functions and operations.
• Advanced telecommunications and the use of the internet and computers are reducing employment for locals because the literacy rate is low.
• Frequent load shedding in Pakistan affects the supply of the internet.
• Easy access to everything and all kinds of websites can harm local culture.
• Computers and other IT equipment are expensive when used in large quantities.
• The computer devices and IT equipment need to be imported i.e. import burden on Pakistan’s economy.
Government Plans:
• Development of needed infrastructure provision.
• Easy access of the internet by establishing internet cafes and centers at railway stations, post offices, pumps, and airports.
• The promotion of education channels for kids on television.
• Investment in training required skilled IT professionals.
• The development of the IT industry including software in Urdu and regional languages.
• Promoting internet usage in business and education.