Pakistan Railways

Pakistan Railways is the state-owned national railway operator of Pakistan. It is responsible for operating passenger and freight trains, managing much of the country's railway infrastructure, maintaining rolling stock, and supporting national rail policy under the Ministry of Railways. Its network extends broadly from Karachi in the south toward Peshawar in the northwest, with additional routes serving Balochistan, Sindh, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The system developed from railway lines constructed during the British colonial period by a number of separately managed companies. In 1886, several of those undertakings were consolidated into the North-Western State Railway, which became North Western Railway in 1905. After the partition of British India in 1947, most of the former North Western Railway infrastructure located in Pakistan became part of the new country's railway system. The operator was renamed Pakistan Western Railway in 1961 and adopted the name Pakistan Railways in 1974. Pakistan Railways is therefore both a modern public-service institution and the successor to a railway system whose main corridors originated in the nineteenth century. Its principal north-south route is the Karachi–Peshawar line, while other important corridors include the Kotri–Attock, Rohri–Chaman and Quetta–Taftan lines. The network includes broad-gauge and metre-gauge track, although narrow-gauge lines were converted or dismantled during the 2000s. The railway has historically offered mail, express, passenger and special-event services, including additional trains during major Islamic festivals and national holidays. Freight operations carry commodities such as coal and other bulk goods, and Pakistan Railways has sought to expand freight capacity through wagon procurement and infrastructure improvements. Manufacturing and maintenance are supported by facilities including the Pakistan Locomotive Factory at Risalpur, the Carriage Factory in Islamabad and the Moghalpura Railway Workshops in Lahore. The operator also maintains concrete sleeper factories and other technical facilities. Pakistan Railways has faced persistent challenges involving aging locomotives and coaches, infrastructure maintenance, service reliability, financial pressure, competition from road transport, and damage or disruption caused by floods and other natural hazards. Its Vision 2026 program, launched by the Ministry of Railways in 2014, targeted a substantial increase in rail's share of Pakistan's transport market and proposed major improvements to track, locomotives, speeds, punctuality and passenger services. Rail projects associated with the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor, particularly the proposed modernization of Main Line 1, have been central to the long-term development agenda, although implementation has been delayed. In the 2023–24 financial year, the operator carried approximately 42.1 million passengers and 5.7 million tonnes of freight. Pakistan Railways remains an active member of the International Union of Railways and continues to serve as a strategically important national transport institution despite its operational and financial difficulties.

Pakistan's railway system originated in the mid-nineteenth century, when several private and state-supported companies built lines in Sindh and Punjab under British rule. Early undertakings included the Scinde Railway, Punjab Railway, Delhi Railway, Indus Flotilla, Indus Valley State Railway, Punjab Northern State Railway, Sind–Sagar Railway, Sind–Pishin State Railway and Trans-Baluchistan Railway. In 1870, four of the early companies were consolidated as the Scinde, Punjab & Delhi Railway. Further construction and administrative consolidation followed, and in 1886 the principal lines were merged into the North-Western State Railway. This organization became North Western Railway in 1905. The partition of British India and the creation of Pakistan in 1947 transferred most of the North Western Railway network to Pakistan. The inherited system included broad-gauge, metre-gauge and narrow-gauge routes. During the early post-independence period, the western and eastern railway systems were administered separately. A branch from the Karachi–Peshawar route was extended toward Mardan and Charsada in 1954, while the Jacobabad–Kashmore metre-gauge line was converted to broad gauge in 1956. In 1961, the western system was renamed Pakistan Western Railway; the railway assets in East Bengal were administered separately as Pakistan Eastern Railway. The Kot Adu–Kashmore section of the Kotri–Attock route was constructed between 1969 and 1973, creating an alternative connection between Karachi and northern Pakistan. In 1974, Pakistan Western Railway was renamed Pakistan Railways. The organization subsequently continued the conversion or removal of narrow-gauge routes, including the conversion of the Hyderabad–Khokhrapar branch to broad gauge in 2006. The Lodhran–Raiwind double-track project was completed in 2016. Institutionally, railway administration changed several times after independence. Railway matters were initially handled through the Railway Division of the Ministry of Communications. A Railway Board was created in the late 1950s, and later constitutional and administrative changes gave provincial railway boards greater autonomy for a period. The federal Ministry of Railways was established in 1974 to handle planning, policy, technical advice and management. In 1982, the ministry and Railway Board were merged into a federal ministry. The contemporary organization includes operations, manufacturing, welfare and special-initiatives functions, with departments covering infrastructure, mechanical engineering, traffic, finance, planning, information technology, legal affairs, personnel, public relations and railway policing. Pakistan Railways' physical system comprises approximately 7,791 route-kilometres, including broad-gauge and metre-gauge track, and serves hundreds of operational stations. Its principal lines include the Karachi–Peshawar Main Line 1, the Kotri–Attock Main Line 2, the Rohri–Chaman Main Line 3, the Quetta–Taftan Main Line 4 and the proposed or developing Taxila–Khunjerab Main Line 5. International connections or proposals have involved Iran, India, Afghanistan, China and Turkey. The link to Iran at Zahedan has a break of gauge, while proposed corridors toward Afghanistan and China would require major new construction and technical integration. The railway has remained important for national mobility and bulk transport but has experienced long-running problems with aging assets, inadequate maintenance, financial constraints, service delays and competition from highways and road-based transport. Pakistan Railways Vision 2026, announced in 2014, sought to increase rail's share of national transport from roughly 4 percent to 20 percent. Its program included new locomotives, infrastructure renewal, higher average speeds, better punctuality and expanded passenger services. China–Pakistan Economic Corridor investment plans placed the proposed modernization of Main Line 1 at the center of the strategy. Although early phases and related planning work progressed, major construction and tendering had not begun by the point described in the reference material. Pakistan Railways continues to combine public-service obligations with efforts to improve commercial performance, including freight expansion, rolling-stock renewal and selective private-sector management of train services.

1. 2017Fifty-five locomotives added

   The operator added 55 high-power locomotives manufactured in the United States.

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2. 2016Lodhran–Raiwind double-track project completed

   The double-tracking project was completed on the Lodhran–Raiwind branch.

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3. 2014Vision 2026 announced

   The Ministry of Railways launched a modernization and market-expansion plan for infrastructure, locomotives, speed, punctuality and passenger services.

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4. 1993Pakistan Locomotive Factory established

   A locomotive manufacturing facility was established at Risalpur to build and support diesel-electric and electric locomotives domestically.

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5. 1974Pakistan Railways name adopted

   Pakistan Western Railway became Pakistan Railways, the name used by the national operator today.

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6. 1961Western system renamed Pakistan Western Railway

   The North-Western Railway was renamed Pakistan Western Railway.

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7. 1947Railway assets transferred to Pakistan

   Following partition, most of the former North Western Railway infrastructure within Pakistan became part of the new country's railway system.

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8. 1905Renamed North Western Railway

   The North-Western State Railway adopted the shorter name North Western Railway.

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9. 1886North-Western State Railway established

   Six railway organizations were merged into the North-Western State Railway, the principal institutional predecessor of Pakistan Railways.

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10. 1870Formation of the Scinde, Punjab & Delhi Railway

    Several early railway undertakings in Sindh and Punjab were consolidated, forming an important predecessor to the later North-Western State Railway.

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National public railway and strategic transport infrastructure provider

• Passenger rail servicesPassenger transportation

  Pakistan Railways operates mail, express and ordinary passenger trains linking major cities and regional centers. Passenger services form a central part of the operator's public-service role and include additional trains during Eid festivals, Independence Day and other periods of exceptional demand. The network's principal intercity axis connects Karachi with cities in Punjab and onward toward Peshawar.

• Freight rail servicesFreight transportation

  Freight operations transport bulk and general goods across Pakistan's rail network. Pakistan Railways has pursued additional hopper wagons for coal movements to power stations and has identified freight growth as an important way to improve asset utilization and revenue. Freight traffic remains strategically significant despite competition from road haulage.

• Pakistan Locomotive FactoryRolling-stock manufacturing1993

  Located at Risalpur, the Pakistan Locomotive Factory was established to manufacture and support diesel-electric and electric locomotives within Pakistan. Its technology base has involved cooperation or technology acquisition associated with Hitachi, General Electric, ADtranz and Dalian locomotive manufacturers.

• Carriage Factory IslamabadPassenger-coach manufacturing1970

  The Carriage Factory in Islamabad was established with German technical collaboration and manufactures passenger coaches. Its stated production capacity is approximately 150 coaches per year on a single-shift basis.

• Moghalpura Railway WorkshopsRolling-stock maintenance1904

  The Moghalpura workshops in Lahore repair, overhaul and maintain passenger coaches and freight wagons. The facility developed at its present site in the early twentieth century and remains one of Pakistan Railways' important engineering and maintenance centers.

• 2014Pakistan Railways Vision 2026

  Pakistan

  A national rail modernization and growth program targeting a larger share of passenger and freight transport through infrastructure renewal, new locomotives, higher speeds, improved punctuality and expanded passenger services.

  Outcome. Implementation was partial and major associated infrastructure works experienced delays.

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• 2025Transfer commercial management of selected trains to private sectorStrategy

  The operator sought to improve passenger facilities and increase revenue while retaining public control of railway infrastructure and regulation.

  What changed. Commercial management of 11 trains was assigned or offered to private-sector management, including Hazara Express, Bahauddin Zakaria Express, Millat Express, Subak Kharam Express, Rawal Express, Badar Express, Ghori Express, Ravi Express, Thall Express, Faiz Ahmed Faiz Passenger and Mohenjo Daro Passenger.

  Aftermath. Pakistan Railways retained infrastructure and regulatory responsibilities; longer-term service and financial results were not established in the supplied material.

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• 2016Complete Lodhran–Raiwind double-trackingOther

  Capacity and operating performance on the Lodhran–Raiwind corridor required infrastructure improvement.

  What changed. Pakistan Railways completed a double-rail project on the branch line.

  Aftermath. The project added double-track capacity on the corridor.

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• 2014Adopt Vision 2026 modernization strategyStrategy

  Rail's share of Pakistan's transport market was low, while the operator faced aging infrastructure, limited capacity and competition from roads.

  What changed. The Ministry of Railways set targets for market-share growth, infrastructure improvement, new locomotives, higher speeds, better punctuality and expanded passenger services.

  Aftermath. The program became the framework for proposed China–Pakistan Economic Corridor rail upgrades, including Main Line 1 modernization, but construction and tendering were delayed.

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• 2025Commercial management of selected trains opened to private operators

  Pakistan Railways decided to transfer commercial management of 11 trains to private-sector operators while retaining infrastructure ownership and regulatory control, with the stated goals of improving passenger facilities and increasing revenue.

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• 2024Pakistan Railways reports 2023–24 passenger and freight volumes

  During the 2023–24 financial year, Pakistan Railways carried approximately 42.1 million passengers and 5.7 million tonnes of freight.

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• 2017Additional high-power locomotives added to the fleet

  Fifty-five additional 4,000-horsepower locomotives manufactured in the United States were added to Pakistan Railways' operating fleet.

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• 2016Lodhran–Raiwind double-track project completed

  A double-track project on the Lodhran–Raiwind branch was completed, supporting capacity and operational improvements on an important Punjab corridor.

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• 2014Pakistan Railways Vision 2026 launched

  The Ministry of Railways introduced a long-term development program intended to increase rail's share of Pakistan's transport market, improve infrastructure and rolling stock, raise train speeds and reliability, and expand passenger services.

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1. Pakistan Railways
2. Pakistan Railways official website