Pakistan Railways are planning to lay a new track, an alternative track, between Karachi and Kotri to keep the traffic between Karachi and rest of the country. Karachi and Kotri are 300 km apart.

Collapse of the Run Pathani Bridge , 80 km east of Karachi , during the 2006 monsoons had caused PR a loss of Rs. 350 million.

Karachi being the country's sole port and the biggest city, no transport network can afford to see it remain disconnected for any reason for any length of time. The Run Pathani collapse had caused rail operations to remain suspended for several days. PR seem to have learnt a lesson from it.

A committee of engineers/ managers from PR, National Logistics Cell ( Pakistan Arm-y's transport organization) and Frontier Works Organisation (Pakistan Army's construction team specializing in heavy civil works) has already begun to look at existing ground realities and possibilities.

The committee will also study other vulnerable parts of railways network and suggest steps to ensure that rail links between different parts of the country were not affected in case of other incidents like the Ran Pathani Bridge collapse.

Incidentally, PR is also planning to give all its bridges, many of which are about a hundred years old, a good look to determine their health and needed repair needs.