Pakistan Railways ( ur, ) is the national,

state-owned State ownership, also called government ownership and public ownership, is the ownership of an industry, asset, or enterprise by the state or a public body representing a community, as opposed to an individual or private party. Public ownersh ...

railway company of

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

. Founded in 1861 and headquartered in

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...

, it owns of track across Pakistan, stretching from

Torkham Torkham (; ps, , translit=tūrxam) is a major border crossing between the Pakistani city of Torkham and Afghanistan, located along the Grand Trunk Road on the international border between the two countries. It connects Nangarhar province of Af ...

Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...

, offering both

freight Cargo consists of bulk goods conveyed by water, air, or land. In economics, freight is cargo that is transported at a freight rate for commercial gain. ''Cargo'' was originally a shipload but now covers all types of freight, including transp ...

and passenger services. In 2014, the

Ministry of Railways A Ministry of Railways is a Cabinet department that exists or has existed in many Commonwealth states as well as others. It generally occurs in countries where railroad transportation is a particularly important part of the national infrastructure. ...

launched ''Pakistan Railways Vision 2026'', which seeks to increase PR's share in Pakistan's transportation sector from 4% to 20%, using the

China–Pakistan Economic Corridor China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) (; ur, چین پاکستان اقتصادی راہداری) is a collection of infrastructure projects that are under construction throughout Pakistan beginning in 2013. Originally valued at $47 billi ...

rail upgrade. The plan includes building new

locomotives A locomotive or engine is a rail transport vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. If a locomotive is capable of carrying a payload, it is usually rather referred to as a multiple unit, motor coach, railcar or power car; the u ...

, development and improvement of current rail infrastructure, an increase in average train speed, improved on-time performance and expansion of passenger services. The first phase of the project was completed in 2017, and the second phase is scheduled for completion by 2021. Among them is the ML-1 project, which will be completed in three phases at a cost of . Until October 2022, these projects have not started construction or tendering. Pakistan Railways is an active member of the

International Union of Railways The International Union of Railways (UIC, french: Union internationale des wikt:chemin de fer, chemins de fer) is an international rail transport industry body. History The railways of Europe originated as many separate concerns, and there wer ...

. In the 2018/19 financial year, Pakistan Railways carried 70 million passengers.

History

In 1855, during the

British Raj The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was himsel ...

, several railway companies began laying track and operating in

Sindh Sindh (; ; ur, , ; historically romanized as Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province ...

and

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...

. The country's railway system was originally a patchwork of local rail lines operated by small, private companies, including the

Scinde Railway The Scinde Railway was one of the pioneering railway companies that operated in Sind Province (1936–55), Sind during the British Raj between 1855 and 1885. History The Scinde Railway was first established by deed of settlement in March 1855 ...

Punjab Railway The Punjab Railway was one of the pioneering railway companies that operated during the British Raj between 1855 and 1885 in Punjab. History The Punjab Railway was established shortly after the ''Scinde Railway Act'' of Parliament in July 1855 ...

Delhi Railway The Delhi Railway was a railway company that operated in British India. It later merged with Scinde Railway, Punjab Railway and Indus Steam Flotilla to form the Scinde, Punjab & Delhi Railway The Scinde, Punjab, Delhi Railway was formed in ...

and Indus Flotilla. In 1870, the four companies combined to form the

Scinde, Punjab & Delhi Railway The Scinde, Punjab, Delhi Railway was formed in 1870 from the incorporation of the Scinde Railway, Indus Steam Flotilla, Punjab Railway and Delhi Railway companies. This was covered by the ''Scinde Railway Company's Amalgamation Act'' of 1869 ...

. Several other rail lines were soon built, including the

Indus Valley State Railway The Indus Valley State Railway was a railway founded in 1871 to provide a rail link between Kotri and Multan and to replace the Indus Steam Flotilla. The opening of the line thus connected Karachi with Lahore. History The survey of the Indus V ...

Punjab Northern State Railway The Punjab Northern State Railway , opened in 1876, was a railway line between Lahore and Peshawar. History The route of what became the Punjab Northern State Railway, was first surveyed in 1857. Years of political and military debate followe ...

Sind–Sagar Railway The Sind–Sagar Railway was originally constructed as a Metre Gauge railway line from Lala Musa to Malakwal. In 1886 the Sind–Sagar Railway was amalgamated with other railways to form the North Western State Railway and railway line from was ...

, Sind–Pishin State Railway, Trans–Baluchistan Railway and

Kandahar State Railway The Kandahar State Railway opened c.1881, originally ran from Sibi and then on wards to Rindli, with the intention to reaching Quetta and onwards to Kandahar. However, the line never reached Quetta.North Western State Railway The North Western State Railway (NWR) was formed in January 1886 from the merger of the Scinde, Punjab & Delhi Railway, the Indus Valley State Railway, the Punjab Northern State Railway, the eastern section of the Sind–Sagar Railway and the ...

in 1880. Between 1880 and 1947, the North Western State Railway expanded throughout

and

. Locomotives were standardised following a report from the Locomotive Committee on Standard Locomotives for Indian Railways, published in 1910. Following

independence Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...

in 1947, most of the North Western State Railway infrastructure was in Pakistani territory and was renamed the

Pakistan Western Railway The Pakistan Western Railway ( ur, ) was one of two divisions of Pakistan Railways which operated between 1947 and 1971. The company was headquartered in Lahore.https://www.pakrail.gov.pk/AboutUs.aspx In 1971, Pakistan Western Railway renamed ...

. In

East Bengal ur, , common_name = East Bengal , status = Province of the Dominion of Pakistan , p1 = Bengal Presidency , flag_p1 = Flag of British Bengal.svg , s1 = East ...

, the portion of the

Assam Bengal Railway The Assam Bengal Railway (ABR) was one of the pioneering railway companies in British India. Headquartered in Chittagong, it functioned from 1892 to 1942. History Assam Bengal Railway was incorporated in 1892 to serve British-owned tea plantat ...

in Pakistani territory was renamed the

Pakistan Eastern Railway The Pakistan Eastern Railway ( ur, , bn, পাকিস্তান পূর্বাঞ্চলীয় রেলপথ) was one of two divisions of Pakistan Railways which operated between 1961 and 1971. The company was headquartered in ...

. The country adopted of the North Western State Railway; was , was , and was

narrow gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structu ...

. In 1954, a branch line was extended from the Karachi–Peshawar Railway Line to

Mardan Mardān (Pashto and ; Urdu ; Pashto: ) is a city in the Mardan District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, Pakistan. Located in the Valley of Peshawar, Mardan is the second-largest city of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (after Peshawar). It is a fast-growing ...

and

Charsada Chārsadda ( ps, چارسده; ; ur, ; ) is a town and headquarters of Charsadda District, in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan.

. Two years later, the

Jacobabad Jacobabad ( ur, and sd, جيڪب آباد; formerly Khanger or Khangarh) is a city in Sindh, Pakistan, serving as both the capital city of Jacobabad District and the administrative center of Jacobabad Taluka, an administrative subdivision ...

Kashmore Kashmore or Kashmor ( sd, ڪشمور, ur, ), is a town and the administrative centre of Kashmore District located in the Sindh Province of Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is ...

metre-

gauge Gauge ( or ) may refer to: Measurement * Gauge (instrument), any of a variety of measuring instruments * Gauge (firearms) * Wire gauge, a measure of the size of a wire ** American wire gauge, a common measure of nonferrous wire diameter, es ...

line was converted to

broad gauge A broad-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge (the distance between the rails) broader than the used by standard-gauge railways. Broad gauge of , commonly known as Russian gauge, is the dominant track gauge in former Soviet Union (CIS ...

. The

Kot Adu Kot Addu ( ur, ) is capital city of Kot Addu District in the Punjab province of Pakistan. This city is subdivided into 5 Union Councils

section of the Kotri–Attock Railway Line was built from 1969 to 1973, providing an alternate route from

to northern Pakistan. In 1974, Pakistan Western Railways was renamed Pakistan Railways. In February 2006, the

Hyderabad–Khokhrapar Branch Line Hyderabad–Khokhrapar Branch Line ( ur, , sd, حيدرآباد - کوکراپار ريلوي لائين) is one of several branch lines in Pakistan, operated and maintained by Pakistan Railways. The line begins from Kotri Junction station a ...

was converted to . All narrow-gauge tracks in the country were converted to or dismantled during 2000s. On 8 January 2016, the

Lodhran–Raiwind Branch Line Lodhran–Raiwind Branch Line ( ur, ) is one of several Railway lines in Pakistan, branch lines in Pakistan, operated and maintained by Pakistan Railways. The line begins from Lodhran Junction railway station, Lodhran Junction station and ends at ...

double-rail project was completed. File:North Western Railway.jpg, An 1890s map of the

North Western State Railway The North Western State Railway (NWR) was formed in January 1886 from the merger of the Scinde, Punjab & Delhi Railway, the Indus Valley State Railway, the Punjab Northern State Railway, the eastern section of the Sind–Sagar Railway and the ...

File:Fortified Northwestern Railway bridge over the Indus at Attock LCCN2004707360.jpg, alt=Train crossing a river on a large bridge,

bridge over the

Indus River The Indus ( ) is a transboundary river of Asia and a trans-Himalayan river of South and Central Asia. The river rises in mountain springs northeast of Mount Kailash in Western Tibet, flows northwest through the disputed region of Kashmir, ...

Attock Attock ( Punjabi and Urdu: ), formerly known as Campbellpur (), is a historical city located in the north of Pakistan's Punjab Province, not far from the country's capital Islamabad. It is the headquarters of the Attock District and is 61st larg ...

in 1895 File:Steam locomotive in Pindi station.jpg, alt=Grey steam engine on a siding, A 1932 steam locomotive in a museum File:Pakistan-Golra Railway Museum-Islamabad (1).jpg, alt=Stone railway station with a green roof,

Golra Sharif Railway Museum Golra Sharif Railway Museum, also known as Pakistan Railways Heritage Museum, is a railway museum located near Sector F-13 of Islamabad, Pakistan. It is located at the Golra Sharif railway station, a junction station in the Rawalpindi Division ...

and station in Islamabad

Structure

Pakistan Railways is a

state-owned enterprise A state-owned enterprise (SOE) is a Government, government entity which is established or nationalised by the ''national government'' or ''provincial government'' by an executive order or an act of legislation in order to earn Profit (econom ...

under the

(MoR) of the

government of Pakistan The Government of Pakistan ( ur, , translit=hakúmat-e pákistán) abbreviated as GoP, is a federal government established by the Constitution of Pakistan as a constituted governing authority of the Administrative units of Pakistan, four provin ...

, tasked with and primarily responsible for planning, administrating and establishing passenger rail service and regulating railway companies and industries. Pakistan Railways policy and development are administered by the ministry. From 1947 to 1959, the

and

were administered by the Railway Division of the

Ministry of Communications A Communications Ministry or Department of Communications is a ministry or other government agency charged with communication. Communications responsibilities includes regulating telecommunications, postal services, broadcasting and print media. T ...

, headed by the Director General of Railways (DG Railways) in the ministry. In 1959, an ordinance was passed by

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

outlining the need for a semi-autonomous railway board. The board was conceived in accordance with the principal powers of the central government as stipulated in the Railways Act IX of 1890. After the first session of the third

national assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Ayub Khan Ayub Khan is a compound masculine name; Ayub is the Arabic version of the name of the Biblical figure Job, while Khan or Khaan is taken from the title used first by the Mongol rulers and then, in particular, their Islamic and Persian-influenced s ...

issued Presidential Order 33 on 9 June 1962. The order directed the transfer of control of both railways (PWR and PER) from the central government to the provincial governments of West Pakistan and East Pakistan, respectively. When PO 33 came into effect on 1 July 1962, railway boards were established by both provinces (repealing the Railway Board Ordinance of 1959). The presidential order also reinstated the separation convention whereby railway finances were separated from general finances beginning with fiscal year 1961-62,, paragraph 338-B giving each board greater autonomy. In 1974, the Ministry of Railways was created to administer planning, policy-making, technical advice and management of the railway. In 1982 the Ministry of Railways was merged with the Railway Board by a presidential order, resulting in the federal ministry.

Railway Board

The Railway Board, in existence from 1959 to 2000, was modified with an executive committee from 2000 and 2014. The Railway Board was reconstituted on 20 February 2015. The Board members are: * Federal Secretary Railways (Chairman of Board) * Federal Secretary Communications *

Finance Secretary of Pakistan The finance secretary of Pakistan (Urdu: ) is the federal secretary for the Ministry of Finance. The federal finance secretary is one of the most powerful bureaucrats in the country. Being the boss of the Finance Division, the secretary plays a ...

Planning and Development Secretary of Pakistan The Planning and Development Secretary of Pakistan (Urdu: ), also referred to as Secretary P&D, is the Federal Secretary for the Ministry of Planning and Development. The Secretary P&D plays a key role in the country's economic planning and devel ...

* General Manager Railways (Operations) * General Manager Railways (Manufacturing and Services) * Member Finance, Ministry of Railways

Units and divisions

Pakistan Railways has three functional units: operations, manufacturing and welfare and special initiatives. The operations unit is divided into three main departments. The Infrastructure Department oversees civil engineering, signaling, telecommunications, design and the directorate of property. The Mechanical Engineering Department oversees mechanical engineering, purchasing, stores and electrical engineering, and the Traffic Department oversees passenger facilities, operations, marketing and the directorate of information technology. Several smaller departments, including personnel, railway police, planning, legal affairs, public relations and the

Pakistan Railways Academy Pakistan Railways Academy ( ur, ) or PRA, is the central training academy for employees of Pakistan Railways. History PRA was originally established as a training school for the employees of the North Western State Railway in Lyallpur (now Fai ...

, are also part of the operations unit. The railway has eight territorial operating divisions: Karachi, Lahore,

Multan Multan (; ) is a city in Punjab, Pakistan, on the bank of the Chenab River. Multan is Pakistan's seventh largest city as per the 2017 census, and the major cultural, religious and economic centre of southern Punjab. Multan is one of the List ...

Peshawar Peshawar (; ps, پېښور ; hnd, ; ; ur, ) is the sixth most populous city in Pakistan, with a population of over 2.3 million. It is situated in the north-west of the country, close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is ...

Quetta Quetta (; ur, ; ; ps, کوټه‎) is the tenth List of cities in Pakistan by population, most populous city in Pakistan with a population of over 1.1 million. It is situated in Geography of Pakistan, south-west of the country close to the ...

Rawalpindi Rawalpindi ( or ; Urdu, ) is a city in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad, and third largest in Punjab after Lahore and Faisalabad. Rawalpindi is next to Pakistan's ...

Sukkur Sukkur (; ) is a city in the Pakistani province of Sindh along the western bank of the Indus River, directly across from the historic city of Rohri. Sukkur is the third largest city in Sindh after Karachi and Hyderabad, and 14th largest ci ...

and

Gwadar Gwadar ( Balochi/ ur, ) is a port city with located on the southwestern coast of Balochistan, Pakistan. The city is located on the shores of the Arabian Sea opposite Oman. Gwadar is the 100th largest city of Pakistan, according to the 2017 ...

. Gawadar Division is not yet operational. In addition to these 8 divisions, one division is non operating division which is Mughulpura Division, Lahore. This division is, primarily, engaged with maintenance of rolling stock.

Pakistan Railways Divisions

The Railways has 8 Regional Operating Divisions: # Pakistan Railways Karachi Division #

Pakistan Railways Sukkur Division Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

# Pakistan Railways Multan Division #

Pakistan Railways Lahore Division Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

# Pakistan Railways Rawalpindi Division # Pakistan Railways Peshawar Division #

Pakistan Railways Quetta Division Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

# Pakistan Railways Gwadar Division, -, it is not active yet

Rolling stock

Pakistan Railways has 190 working

diesel-electric locomotive A diesel locomotive is a type of railway locomotive in which the prime mover (locomotive), prime mover is a diesel engine. Several types of diesel locomotives have been developed, differing mainly in the means by which mechanical power is conv ...

s. The average life of the fleet is 25 years, and they are serviced at the

Pakistan Locomotive Factory Pakistan Locomotive Factory ( ur, , or PLF) is a manufacturer of locomotives for Pakistan Railways, located in Risalpur, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The company was established in 1993. A total of 2,130 coaches have been manufactured at Car ...

. In January 2016, the railway ordered 800 hopper wagons from Jinan Railway Vehicles Equipment. The first 205 wagons will be built in China, and the remaining 595 wagons will be assembled at the Moghalpura Railway Workshops in Pakistan. The wagons will carry coal to

power station A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an electrical grid. Many p ...

s in

and

Qadirabad Qadirabad ( ur, ) is a village located near Chenab River in tehsil Phalia in Mandi Bahauddin District in province Punjab in Pakistan. History The name 'Qadirabad' comes from the name of Mirza Qadir Khan, whose grave and that of his brother's ...

Manufacturing

The Pakistan Locomotive Factory was built in

Risalpur Risalpur (Pashto/ ur, رسالپور) is a city in Nowshera District, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, on the Nowshera-Mardan Road. It is nearly 45 km from Peshawar and 18 km from Mardan and is located at 34°4'52N 71°58'21E. In a basin so ...

in 1993 at a cost of . The factory's capacity is 150 coaches per year on a single-shift basis. The Moghalpura Railway Workshops, on the

Lahore–Wagah Branch Line Lahore–Wagah Branch Line ( ur, ) is one of several branch lines in Pakistan, operated and maintained by Pakistan Railways. The line begins from Lahore Junction station and ends at Wagah station, at border to India. The total length of this ...

Moghalpura Junction railway station Mughalpura Junction railway station (Urdu and pa, ) is located in Lahore, Pakistan. The Moghalpura Railway Workshops are situated here. See also * List of railway stations in Pakistan * Pakistan Railways Pakistan Railways ( ur, ) is t ...

(MGPR) in

, are one of several rolling-stock repair sites. The workshop complex emerged at its present site in 1904 to manufacture, repair and overhaul passenger coaches and freight wagons for the

. In 1947, it was the only state-of-the-art workshop for Pakistan Railways. The railway owns five

concrete sleeper A concrete sleeper (British English) or concrete tie (American English) is a type of railway sleeper or railroad tie made out of steel reinforced concrete. History In 1877, Joseph Monier, a French gardener, suggested that concrete reinforced ...

factories in

Khanewal Khanewal () is a city and the capital of Khanewal District in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is the 36th largest city of Pakistan by population. Khanewal is named after the earliest settlers here who belonged to the caste ‘Daha’ (A Sub ...

Kohat Kohat ( ps, کوهاټ; ur, ) is a city that serves as the capital of the Kohat District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It is regarded as a centre of the Bangash tribe of Pashtuns, who have lived in the region since the late 15th century ...

, Shahinabad and

Kotri Kotri ( sd, ڪوٽڙي, ur, ) is a city and the headquarters of the Kotri Taluka of Jamshoro District of Sindh province in Pakistan. Located on the right bank of the Indus River, it is the 29th largest city in Pakistan by population. Name The ...

. The first factory was established in Sukkur in 1967, and the other four factories were opened between 1979 and 1981.

Network

Lines

The Pakistan Railways network is divided into main lines and branch lines. The Karachi-Peshawar line is the main north-south line, and the Rohri-Chaman line is the main east-west line.

Main lines

* ''Main Line 1 (ML-1)''

Karachi–Peshawar Line Karachi–Peshawar Railway Line () (also referred to as Main Line 1 or ML-1) is one of four main railway lines in Pakistan, operated and maintained by Pakistan Railways. The line begins from Karachi City railway station, Karachi City station or K ...

* ''Main Line 2 (ML-2)''

Kotri–Attock Line Kotri–Attock Railway Line ( ur, ) (also referred to Main Line 2 or ML-2) is one of four main railway lines in Pakistan, operated and maintained by Pakistan Railways. The line begins from Kotri Junction and ends at Attock City Junction. The ...

* ''Main Line 3 (ML-3)'' Rohri–Chaman Line * ''Main Line 4 (ML-4)''

Quetta–Taftan Line The Quetta–Taftan Railway Line ( ur, ) (also referred as Main Line 4 or ML-4) is one of four main railway lines in Pakistan, operated and maintained by Pakistan Railways. Inward from Pakistan's most western edge it begins at Quetta station ...

* ''Main Line 5 (ML-5)'' Taxila–Khunjerab Line

Branch lines

Tracks

Pakistan Railways owns of track. All are (

), except for some industrial lines. The broad-gauge track axle load limit is 22.86 tonnes, except for the Rohri-Chaman Line (limit 17.78 tonnes) and Quetta-Taftan Line (limit 17.27 tonnes). The maximum speed on most lines is , but upgraded sections of the Karachi-Peshawar Line allow speeds up to . Work is in progress to upgrade all main lines to .

Electrification

The

line was electrified at

25 kV AC Railway electrification systems using alternating current (AC) at are used worldwide, especially for high-speed rail. It is usually supplied at the standard utility frequency (typically 50 or 60Hz), which simplifies traction substations. The d ...

, but electric service had ceased by 2011. The theft of

overhead wire An overhead line or overhead wire is an electrical cable that is used to transmit electrical energy to electric locomotives, trolleybuses or trams. It is known variously as: * Overhead catenary * Overhead contact system (OCS) * Overhead equipmen ...

was cited as a reason.

Rail links with adjacent countries

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

- Pakistan Railways is connected to the

Islamic Republic of Iran Railways , majoroperators =RAI, Tooka rail, Samand rail , ridership =21 million , passkm =13 billion , freight =31 million tonnes , tonkm =22 billion tonnes , infrastructure = , length = , doublelength = 142 ...

Zahedan Zahedan ( Balochi and fa, , ' ) is a city and capital of Sistan and Baluchestan Province, Iran. At the 2016 census, its population was 587,730. The city was the site of a deadly crackdown in October 2022, with dozens citizens killed by pro- ...

, where a

break-of-gauge With railways, a break of gauge occurs where a line of one track gauge (the distance between the rails, or between the wheels of trains designed to run on those rails) meets a line of a different gauge. Trains and rolling stock generally cannot ...

exists between the Quetta–Taftan Railway Line and the

Kerman Kerman ( fa, كرمان, Kermân ; also romanization of Persian, romanized as Kermun and Karmana), known in ancient times as the satrapy of Carmania, is the capital city of Kerman Province, Iran. At the 2011 census, its population was 821,394, in ...

–

line. The link was completed on 18 May 2007. *

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

- Presently there is no rail link to

, but Pakistan Railways has proposed to help build an Afghan rail network in three phases. Phase one would stretch from the

Chaman Chaman ( Balochi, Pashto and ur, ) is a city and recently claimed as a new district of Balochistan named Chaman District as it was earlier a part of district Qila Abdullah District located on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. It is the capital ...

Spin Boldak Spin Boldak ( ps, سپین بولدک) is a border town and the headquarters of Spin Boldak District in the southern Kandahar province of Afghanistan, next to the border with Pakistan. It is linked by a highway with the city of Kandahar to the n ...

as an extension of the Rohri–Chaman Line. Phase two would extend the line from Spin Boldak to

Kandahar Kandahar (; Kandahār, , Qandahār) is a List of cities in Afghanistan, city in Afghanistan, located in the south of the country on the Arghandab River, at an elevation of . It is Afghanistan's second largest city after Kabul, with a population ...

. Phase three would run from Kandahar to

Herat Herāt (; Persian: ) is an oasis city and the third-largest city of Afghanistan. In 2020, it had an estimated population of 574,276, and serves as the capital of Herat Province, situated south of the Paropamisus Mountains (''Selseleh-ye Safēd ...

and Khushka,

Turkmenistan Turkmenistan ( or ; tk, Türkmenistan / Түркменистан, ) is a country located in Central Asia, bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, east and northeast, Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the sout ...

, linking the with the

Central Asia Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a subregion, region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes t ...

n . It is unknown where the break-of-gauge station would be. Another proposal would extend the Karachi-Peshawar Line to

Kabul Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into 22 municipal districts. Acco ...

via

Jalalabad Jalalabad (; Dari/ ps, جلال‌آباد, ) is the fifth-largest city of Afghanistan. It has a population of about 356,274, and serves as the capital of Nangarhar Province in the eastern part of the country, about from the capital Kabul. Jala ...

. *

via Afghanistan – Proposed, avoiding the intervening gauge *

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

- There is no present rail link with

. On 28 February 2007, contracts were awarded for feasibility studies on the Taxila–Khunjerab Line, extending it from

Havelian Havelian ( ) is the second largest municipality in the Abbottabad District, in the Hazara Division, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. It serves as the headquarters for Havelian Tehsil. The word literally translates into English as "mansions ...

via the

Khunjerab Pass Khunjerab Pass (; ; ug, قونجىراپ ئېغىزى) is a mountain pass in the Karakoram Mountains, in a strategic position on the northern border of Pakistan (Gilgit–Baltistan's Hunza and Nagar Districts) and on the southwest border of Ch ...

to the Chinese

railhead In the UK, railheading refers to the practice of travelling further than necessary to reach a rail service, typically by car. The phenomenon is common among commuters seeking a more convenient journey. Reasons for railheading include, but are ...

Kashgar Kashgar ( ug, قەشقەر, Qeshqer) or Kashi ( zh, c=喀什) is an oasis city in the Tarim Basin region of Southern Xinjiang. It is one of the westernmost cities of China, near the border with Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Pakistan ...

, a distance of about . *

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

- The completion of the Pakistan-Iran link has made it possible, in principle, to run trains between Pakistan and Turkey via Iran. A

container train Rail freight transport is the use of railroads and trains to transport cargo as opposed to human passengers. A freight train, cargo train, or goods train is a group of freight cars (US) or goods wagons (International Union of Railways) hauled ...

trial service was begun by Prime Minister

Yousuf Raza Gilani Yusuf Raza Gilani (Urdu: ; born 9 June 1952), is a Pakistani politician who served as 18th Prime Minister of Pakistan from 25 March 2008, until his retroactive #Disqualification and ouster, disqualification and ouster by the Supreme Court of P ...

between Islamabad and

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

on 14 August 2009. The first train carried 20

containers A container is any receptacle or enclosure for holding a product used in storage, packaging, and transportation, including shipping. Things kept inside of a container are protected on several sides by being inside of its structure. The term ...

with a capacity of about , and was scheduled to travel from Islamabad through

Tehran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...

to Istanbul. An

Islamabad Islamabad (; ur, , ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's ninth-most populous city, with a population of over 1.2 million people, and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital T ...

passenger rail service has also been proposed. In 2009, Minister for Railways

Ghulam Ahmad Bilour Ghulam Ahmad Bilour (; born 25 December 1939) is a Pakistani politician who served as a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan from 2008 to 2018. He additionally served as Federal Minister for Railways twice and as Federal Minister for Lo ...

expressed the hope that after the container-train trial a passenger train would be introduced. There are also hopes that the route would link

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

and

and carry passengers. *

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

- Two rail links to India exist: the

Thar Express The ''Thar Express'' ( hi, थार एक्सप्रेस, ur, , Sindhi: ٿر ايڪسپريس) was an international passenger train that ran between the a suburban area of Jodhpur in the Indian State of Rajasthan and of Karachi in t ...

from

Jodhpur, Rajasthan Jodhpur (; ) is the second-largest city in the Indian state of Rajasthan and officially the second metropolitan city of the state. It was formerly the seat of the princely state of Jodhpur State. Jodhpur was historically the capital of the Ki ...

and the

Samjhauta Express The Samjhauta Express () was a bi-weekly train — Thursday and Monday — that runs between Delhi and Attari in India and Lahore in Pakistan. The word ''Samjhauta'' means "agreement", "accord" and "compromise" in both Hindi and Urdu. Unti ...

from

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...

Service

Passenger service

Passenger traffic is 50 percent of total annual revenue; in 1999-2000, this amounted to . Pakistan Railways carried 52.2 million passengers in 2016 and operates 28 mail, express and passenger trains. The railway carries a daily average of 178,000 people, and provides special trains for

Eid ul Fitr , nickname = Festival of Breaking the Fast, Lesser Eid, Sweet Eid, Sugar Feast , observedby = Muslims , type = Islamic , longtype = Islamic , significance = Commemoration to mark the end of fasting in Ramadan , date ...

, Eid ul Azha, Independence Day and

Raiwind Ijtema Raiwind Ijtema ( ur, رائے ونڈ اجتماع) is an annual three-day congregation held at Raiwind Markaz, Lahore, Pakistan. The congregation is attended by thousands of people across the world every year. After Dua of last day, groups (Ta ...

. It set up a website during the early 2000s to provide travelers with up-to-date information about seat availability, departures and arrivals. Online ticket purchase was added to the website in 2016, with reservations confirmed by

SMS Short Message/Messaging Service, commonly abbreviated as SMS, is a text messaging service component of most telephone, Internet and mobile device systems. It uses standardized communication protocols that let mobile devices exchange short text ...

. Wi-Fi service is included on the

Green Line Express Green Line Express ( ur, ) is a passenger train operated daily by Pakistan Railways between Karachi and Islamabad. It is the flagship rail of the organization and has the highest passage priority. The train takes approximately 21 hours to cover ...

Classes

Pakistan Railways has several classes of travel. Depending on the route, some trains have one class. Fares for the classes vary, with unreserved seating the least expensive. The following table lists the classes and codes:

Freight service

Pakistan Railways was the predominant mode of freight transportation from coastal ports to the interior. At their peak, between 1955 and 1960, PR handled 73 percent of the country's freight traffic (compared to less than four percent in 2015). The Freight Business Unit operates over 200 freight stations, including the

Port of Karachi The Port of Karachi ( ur, , ''Bandar gāh Karāchī'') is one of South Asia's largest and busiest deep-water seaports, handling about 60% of the nation's cargo (25 million tons per annum) located in Karachi, Pakistan. It is located on the Karac ...

and

Bin Qasim Port The Port Muhammad Bin Qasim ( ur, ''Bandar-gāh Muhammad bin Qāsim''), or Qasim Port Authority ( ur, ), also known as Port Qasim, is a deep-water seaport in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan, on the coastline of the Arabian Sea under the administra ...

, and several

dry port A dry port (sometimes referred to as an inland port) is an inland intermodal terminal directly connected by road or rail to a seaport, operating as a centre for the transshipment of sea cargo to inland destinations. In addition to their role in ...

s in Pakistan's four provinces. With 12,000 employees, the unit generates revenue from the movement of agricultural, industrial and imported products such as

petroleum oil Mineral oil is any of various colorless, odorless, light mixtures of higher alkanes from a mineral source, particularly a distillate of petroleum, as distinct from usually edible vegetable oils. The name 'mineral oil' by itself is imprecise, ...

and lubricants, wheat, coal, fertilizer,

rock phosphate Phosphorite, phosphate rock or rock phosphate is a non-detrital sedimentary rock that contains high amounts of phosphate minerals. The phosphate content of phosphorite (or grade of phosphate rock) varies greatly, from 4% to 20% phosphorus pentoxi ...

, cement and sugar from the ports to the interior. On 14 August 2009, Prime Minister

launched a freight train between Islamabad and

via

. The first train carried 20

with a capacity of , and made the trip from Islamabad to

and Istanbul in two weeks. In 2015, freight carried by Pakistan Railways increased significantly to 3.3 million tons. On February 22, 2020 the first cargo train bound for Afghanistan left Karachi, Pakistan with a load of containers. Pakistan Railways Chairman Habib-ur-Rehman Gilani inaugurated the train on Saturday which departed from the Pakistan International Container Terminal in Karachi with 35 containers on board for the country’s southwest Chaman city bordering Afghanistan. From there, the goods will be shifted across the border via road, the Nation reported

Heritage

Ghangha Pur Gangapur is a village near Buchiana mandi in Jaranwala Tehsil in Faisalabad District, Punjab, Pakistan. It is located at 31°27'12N 73°33'57E with an altitude of 193 metres (636 feet) and is part of Union council 39 of Jaranwala with a populatio ...

, a

horse-drawn tramway A horsecar, horse-drawn tram, horse-drawn streetcar (U.S.), or horse-drawn railway (historical), is an Animal-powered transport, animal-powered (usually horse) tram or streetcar. Summary The horse-drawn tram (horsecar) was an early form of ...

is operational. It was first opened in 1898, closed in 1998, and re-opened in 2010. The

Khyber train safari The Khyber train safari ( ur, , ps, د خیبر تپ صفري) is a defunct tourist train that was operated and maintained by Tourism Corporation of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Pakistan Railways between Peshawar and Attock Khurd. The trip took a ...

is a steam operated train between Peshawar and Attock Khurd. It was first opened in 1925, suspended in 1982, reopened in 1996 as Khyber steam safari, suspended again in 2006 and finally reopened in 2015 with present name.

Accidents

Train accidents are common in Pakistan. # '' 1990 Sukkur Rail Disaster'' # '' 2006 Ghotki Rail Crash'' # ''

Super Parcel Express Super may refer to: Computing * SUPER (computer program), or Simplified Universal Player Encoder & Renderer, a video converter / player * Super (computer science), a keyword in object-oriented programming languages * Super key (keyboard butto ...

'' # '' 2007 Mehrabpur Derailment'' # '' 2015 Gujranwala Derailment'' # '' 2015 Aab-e-Gum Derailment'' # '' 2016 Karachi Rail Crash'' # 2019 ''Sadiqabad Rail Crash'' # ''2019 Rahimyar Khan'' *'' Sukkur rail disaster'': Occurred on 4 January 1990 in the village of Sangi, near

Sindh Province Sindh (; ; ur, , ; historically romanized as Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province ...

. In Pakistan's worst rail disaster, 307 people were killed. The ''

Bahauddin Zakaria Express ''Bahauddin Zakaria Express'' ( Seraiki, ur, ) is a passenger train operated daily bSSR Groupbetween Karachi and Multan. The trip takes approximately 16 hours and 5 minutes to cover a published distance of , traveling along a stretch of the ...

'', on an overnight run from

, carried many more passengers in its 16 carriages than its 1,408-seat capacity. The train was supposed to pass through the village of Sangi, but incorrectly-set

points Point or points may refer to: Places * Point, Lewis, a peninsula in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland * Point, Texas, a city in Rains County, Texas, United States * Point, the NE tip and a ferry terminal of Lismore, Inner Hebrides, Scotland * Point ...

sent it into a

siding Siding may refer to: * Siding (construction), the outer covering or cladding of a house * Siding (rail) A siding, in rail terminology, is a low-speed track section distinct from a running line or through route such as a main line, branch l ...

and it struck an empty 67-car freight train at a speed of at least . * '' Ghotki rail crash'': In PR's worst accident in recent years, three passenger trains collided on 13 July 2005. Thirteen carriages derailed, and over 120 people were killed. The '' Karachi Express'' struck the rear of the ''

Quetta Express The ''Akbar Express'' ( ur, , bal, اکبر ایکسپریس) is a passenger train operated daily by Pakistan Railways between Quetta and Lahore. The trip takes approximately 23 hours and 30 minutes to cover a published distance of , travelin ...

'' while it was stopped at a station near

Ghotki Ghotki ( ur, ; sd, گهوٽڪي) is a city in northern Sindh, Pakistan. It is the headquarter of Ghotki District. It is the 87th largest city of Pakistan by population. Ghotki is famous for Pera Sweet. History According to Mirza Kalich Beg ...

, and the ''

Tezgam Tezgam ( ur, ) is a daily express train service between Karachi and Rawalpindi in Pakistan. ''Tezgam'' means "fast runner". It is one of the oldest and popular trains of Pakistan. It was started in 1950s between Karachi and Peshawar. Later its ...

'' (travelling in the opposite direction) struck several of the derailed carriages. According to officials, the conductor of the ''Karachi Express'' misread a signal. * ''Super Parcel Express'': On 21 August 2005, the upcountry ''Super Parcels Express'' derailed while crossing the Malir Bridge near Landhi in

Karachi Division Karachi Division ( ur, ) is an administrative division of the Sindh Province of Pakistan. There are seven districts of Karachi. History In December 1960 Lasbela became a separate district and was placed to form Karachi-Bela division. In 19 ...

. Eight

bogie A bogie ( ) (in some senses called a truck in North American English) is a chassis or framework that carries a wheelset, attached to a vehicle—a modular subassembly of wheels and axles. Bogies take various forms in various modes of transp ...

s were seriously damaged when an axle broke due to overloading, and rail traffic was suspended for 24 hours; all trains were terminated and turned around at

Landhi Landhi ( ur, ) is a residential neighbourhood and an industrial municipality in the eastern part of Karachi, Pakistan. It is bordered by the Faisal Cantonment and Shah Faisal Colony to the north across the Malir River, Bin Qasim Port to the so ...

. * '' Mehrabpur derailment'': The '' Karachi Express'', from

, derailed near the town of

Mehrabpur Mehrabpur ( ur, ), ( Sindhi:محرابپور), is a city in the Naushahro Firoz District in Sindh province of Pakistan. The city is administratively subdivided into 8 Union Councils. It has a busy railway station on the main railway line between ...

in Sindh on 19 December 2007. At about 2:25 a.m. local time, fourteen of the train's sixteen carriages left the tracks; some were mangled by the crash, and others slid down an embankment into water. Sabotage and terrorism were ruled out as reasons for the derailment, with officials blaming faulty track. * ''2011'' ''

Bolan Mail Bolan Mail ( ur, ) is a passenger train operated daily by Pakistan Railways between Karachi and Quetta. The trip takes approximately 20 hours 25 minutes to cover a published distance of , running at & traveling along a stretch of the Karachi� ...

'' Derail On July 29, 2011 Five bogies of the Bolan Mail were derailed while railway track of 300 feet was damaged as unidentified miscreants destroyed the track in Dera Allahyar area here on Friday. Police told the media that the incident happened at the Marri Farm when the train was going to Quetta from Karachi. * ''2012

'' Collide With Engine Nov 16, 2012 The driver of Bolan Mail was injured when the train accidentally collided with another engine near Kotri Railway Station on Friday morning. Bolan Mail had a clear signal to run on the up-track due to which it bumped into the already halted engine on the same track that was scheduled to travel to Karachi from Quetta. * ''2015'' ''

'' Derail June 17, 2015 On Five bogies of the Quetta-bound Bolan Mail derailed near Madeji due to cracks in a dyke of Dadu Canal on Tuesday. Several passengers were injured when the bogies of the train derailed near Madeji in Shikarpur district of Sindh due to cracks in embankment of Dadu Canal and the gushing out water weakened the rail track, making a hole beneath it, which resulted in the accident. The rescue teams rushed to the place of the incident and launched relief operations. They reached the area and started helping the passengers. DS Railways said five additional bogies had been attached with the '' Akbar Bugti Express'' for the victim passengers of Bolan Mail. He said the Railways provided alternative transport facility to the victims so as they could reach their destinations. He said the affected portion of the railway track could only be repaired when the breach in the dyke was repaired. He said eight passengers were injured in the incident. * '' 2015 Gujranwala derailment'': On 2 July 2015, three carriages of a special train fell into a canal and another derailed near

Gujranwala Gujranwala ( ur, , label=none; ) is a city and capital of Gujranwala Division located in Pakistan. It is also known as "City of Wrestlers" and is quite famous for its food. It is the 5th most populous city proper after Karachi, Lahore, Faisala ...

. Nineteen people were killed. * '' Aab-e-Gum derailment'': On 17 November 2015, the ''

Jaffar Express ''Gaffar Express'' ( ur, ) is a passenger train operated daily by Pakistan Railways between Quetta and Peshawar. The trip takes approximately 34 hours, 10 minutes to cover a published distance of , traveling along a stretch of the Rohri–Ch ...

'' derailed at in

Balochistan Balochistan ( ; bal, بلۏچستان; also romanised as Baluchistan and Baluchestan) is a historical region in Western and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline. ...

. Twenty people were killed. * ''

Karachi rail crash The Karachi rail crash (also referred to as the Landhi rail disaster) was a train accident between the Fareed Express and the Bahauddin Zakaria Express that occurred on 3 November 2016 at 7:18 PST at Landhi station, in Karachi, Pakistan. The ...

'': The ''

'' collided with the '' Fareed Express'' (parked at the Landhi railway station) on 3 November 2016, killing 21 people. * ''2017'' ''

Mehr Express ''Mehr Express'' ( ur, ) is a passenger train operated daily by Pakistan Railways between Multan and Rawalpindi. The trip takes approximately 14 hours, 30 minutes to cover a published distance of , traveling along a stretch of the Karachi– ...

'' ''Derailment'' On December 23, 2017 Multan-bound ''

'' collided Friday night with a trailer truck carrying sugarcane produce here near the city's Shah Alam area, rescue officials said. At least four people — three passengers and the train driver — were injured during the accident, with an emergency medical aid team dispatched immediately. Peshawar-to-Karachi ''

Khushhal Khan Khattak Express ''Khushhal Khan Khattak Express'' ( ur, ) is a passenger train operated daily by Pakistan Railways between Karachi and Peshawar. The trip takes approximately 34 hours and 15 minutes to cover a published distance of , traveling along a stretch ...

'' was delayed due to tracks being closed off after the collision. * ''2018'' '' Khushal Khan Khattak Express'' ''Derailment'' On September 17, 2018 Twenty-one passengers were injured when seven coaches as well as the locomotive of Peshawer-bound ''Khushal Khan Khattak Express Derailed'' in a hilly area between the Massan Railway Station and Sawan Bridge, about 45 km from here, on Sunday morning.Rescue 1122 said one of the 21 passengers was admitted to the Kalabagh tehsil headquarters hospital with critical injuries.A railways press release said 20 passengers were injured, with four of them admitted to the Mianwali DHQ hospital. * ''2019 Nasirabad Rail Derailment'' March 17, 2019 The railway track near Nasirabad was blown up and five bogies of ''

'' derailed killing at least five persons on Sunday.The train was going to Quetta. Eight persons sustained injuries in the incident. The rescue teams reached the spot and started shifting the victims to the hospital. The explosion damaged the railway track as well and the locomotion of other trains is also affected. The authorities have started interrogating the matter. The security personnel and police rounded up the area and started the investigation. Moreover, it has been learnt that railway officials are trying to reinstate the track as soon as possible. *'' Sadiqabad rail crash'' (Walhaar): On 11 July 2019, Akbar Express hit a parked cargo train at the Walhaar Railway Station. 21 people were killed and 100 injured. Minister for Railways

Sheikh Rashid Ahmad Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad ( ur, ; born 6 November 1950) is a Pakistani politician who served as the 38th Ministry of Interior (Pakistan), Interior Minister of Pakistan from 2020 to 2022. He is famous because of his smoking cigars and Laal Haveli. He ...

also expressed grief over the loss of precious lives caused by the accident. He announced compensation of Rs2 million for the families of the deceased and Rs1.5 million each for the injured. *''

Rahimyar Khan Rahim Yar Khan () is a city in Punjab province of Pakistan. It is the 9th largest city of Pakistan by population. It is the capital of the Rahim Yar Khan District and Rahim Yar Khan Tehsil. The administration of the city is subdivided into nin ...

'': On 31 October 2019 at least 75 people died after a fire broke out in Tezgam Express – travelling from Karachi to Rawalpindi – after a gas canister reportedly exploded on board as the train was passing through Rahim Yar Khan. The fire started after passengers started cooking on the train, and the resulting inferno destroyed three economy-class carriages of the train. A witness claimed that the fire could not be attributed to the gas cylinder blast since all the cylinders were emptied at the station. Many of the victims died when they jumped from the moving train to escape the inferno.
''2020 Sheikhupura level crossing accident''
On 3 July 2020, at least 20 people died and ten others were injured mostly members of the Pakistani Sikh community in Shah Hussain Express collided with a bus near Sachcha Sauda railway station in

Sheikhupura District Sheikhupura District ( pa, ; ur, ), is a district located in Lahore Division of Punjab Province, Pakistan. Sheikhupura is the headquarters of Sheikhupura district. According to the 1998 census of Pakistan, the district had a population of ...

. *''2020 Balochistan Train Accident'' Freight Train Collision Between 22 Wheeler Truck Between Wali Khan And Sheikh Wasil Railway Station Quetta Pakistan *'' 2021 Ghotki rail crash'': On 7 June 2021, at least 62 people died and 200 others were injured so far in a collision between

Millat Express Millat Express ( ur, ) is a passenger train operated daily by Pakistan Railways between Karachi and Lalamusa in Malakwal. The trip takes approximately 21 hours, 30 minutes to cover a published distance of , traveling along a stretch of the Ka ...

and Sir Syed Express. *''2022

At Bomb Blast Derailment'' On Six passengers injured as bomb blast derails January 19, 2022 Pakistan Railways officials said that Jaffar Express left for Rawalpindi from Quetta and when it reached near Sibi a powerful bomb blast took place that derailed four carriages of the train. *''2022

Rail Crash'' : On 25 April 2022 Four injured as ''

'' collides with goods train in Balochistan. Levies sources said that Bolan Mail, which was on its way from Karachi to Quetta, collided with a goods train in Peeru Kunri Post area of Kachhi.According to them, three boogies of the train derailed from the track. The injured passengers were rushed to a nearby hospital for medical treatment.

Future

New lines

New rail lines have been proposed by Pakistan Railways to connect

Gwadar Port The Gwadar Port ( ur, ) is situated on the Arabian Sea at Gwadar in Balochistan province of Pakistan and is under the administrative control of the Maritime Secretary of Pakistan and operational control of the China Overseas Port Holding Com ...

to Central Asia, including: * Karachi–Gwadar Railway Line (Makran Railway) * Gwadar–Mastung Branch Line * Basima–Jacobabad Branch Line * Bostan–Zhob–Dera Ismail Khan Branch Line *

Islamabad–Muzaffarabad Branch Line Islamabad–Muzaffarabad Branch Line ( ur, ) is one of several railway lines in Pakistan proposed by Pakistan Railways. The proposed line begins at Nur station on the Karachi–Peshawar Railway Line and will end at Muzaffarabad in Azad Jammu ...

* Jhang Sadar–Risalewala Branch Line

Breaks of gauge

*In Pakistan: – at

*Outside Pakistan: – at

Mazar-i-Sharif , official_name = , settlement_type = City , image_skyline = , pushpin_map = Afghanistan#Bactria#West Asia , pushpin_label = Mazar-i-Sharif , pushpin ...

and – at

Track-doubling project

Over of tracks have been doubled since the track-doubling project began in the 1990s. Sections of the

were first doubled, since it was the country's busiest and longest line.

Karachi–Peshawar Line

Kiamari Keamari ( sd, ڪياماڙي, ur, کیماڑی ) is a neighbourhood in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. Keamari was originally an independent settlement that was built on a sandy ridge on the eastern side of Karachi Harbour. History Keamari was a l ...

– Lodhran Junction: * Lodhran Junction– Sher Shah Junction: * Sher Shah Junction–

Multan Cantonment Multan Cantt ( ur, ) or Multan Cantonment ( ur, ) is a cantonment in the Multan District, adjacent to Multan city, in Punjab province, eastern Pakistan. Multan Cantt is located in the city's southwest.Multan Cantonment Multan Cantt ( ur, ) or Multan Cantonment ( ur, ) is a cantonment in the Multan District, adjacent to Multan city, in Punjab province, eastern Pakistan. Multan Cantt is located in the city's southwest.Khanewal Junction: * Khanewal Junction–

Sahiwal Sahiwal (Punjabi language, Punjabi and ur, ), formerly known as Montgomery, is a city in Punjab, Pakistan. It is the List of most populous cities in Pakistan, 21st largest city of Pakistan by population and the administrative capital of both ...

: *

– Okara: *

Bhoe Asal Bhoe Asal ( ur, ), is a town and Union Council of Kasur District in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is on the Lahore-Karachi railway track and on Pattoki-Raiwind Road. The town is in close proximity to Changa Manga, Pakistan's biggest plant ...

– Raiwind Junction: * Raiwind Junction– Shahdara Bagh Junction: *

Chaklala Chaklala is a major suburban town of Rawalpindi in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is situated astride the Airport Road, to the east of Grand Trunk Road on the main railway line. The town has its own railway station Chaklala Railway Station w ...

– Golra Sharif Junction:

Rohri–Chaman Line

* Aab-e-Gum–

Kolpur Kolpur ( ur, ) is town and union council of Mastung District in the Balochistan province of Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List ...

: *

Gulistan Gulistan, Golestan or Golastan ( fa, گلستان) means "flower land" in Persian language (''gol'' meaning "flower", and ''-stan'' or meaning "land"). It may refer to: Places Iran "Golestan" most often refers to: * Golestan province in nor ...

–

Lahore–Wagah branch line

Lahore Junction Lahore Junction Railway Station (Urdu, pa, ) is the main railway station in Lahore, Pakistan. Construction commenced shortly after the 1857 War of Independence against British rule, and so was built in the style of a medieval castle with thick ...

–

Wagah Wagah ( ur, ) or Wagha (Shahmukhi pnb, ) is a village and union council (UC 181) located in the Wahga Zone near Lahore City District, Pakistan. The town is famous for the Wagah border ceremony and also serves as a goods transit terminal and ...

Restructuring

In March 2010, the Pakistani government announced plans to privatise Pakistan Railways and split it into four businesses focusing on passenger operations, freight, infrastructure and manufacturing. In February 2010, "Unbundling" was proposed the previous month, with activities being outsourced, privatised, or operated separately. However, complete privatisation has been ruled out.

Public-private partnership

Pakistan Railways has faced financial and management crisis, and has met with private operators. Several trains are a public-private partnership. The ''Pakistan Business Express Train'' made its first run on 3 February 2012, and the ''Shalimar Express'' resumed operation on 25 February of that year.

China-Pakistan Economic Corridor

China is involved in the development of Pakistan Railways, and has been increasing its stake in Pakistan's communications sector. Freight and passenger service make up 50 percent of the railway's total revenue. Pakistan Railways carries 65 million passengers annually and operates 228 mail, express and passenger trains daily. It introduced new mail and express trains between major terminals from 2003 to 2005. The railway has entered developmental agreements with Chinese rail companies. In 2001, Pakistan Railways signed a $91.89 million contract with

China National Machinery Import and Export Corporation China National Machinery Import and Export Corporation (CMC) is a Chinese international engineering contractor and subsidiary of China General Technology Group. It is a contractor in a range of projects, mainly industrial facilities and power pla ...

to manufacture 175 high-speed passenger coaches. The project was funded by

Exim Bank of China The Export–Import Bank of China (Chexim - China Exim Bank) () is one of two institutional banks in China chartered to implement the state policies in industry, foreign trade, economy, and foreign aid to other developing countries, and prov ...

on a supplier-credit basis. Forty passenger coaches have been received, and 105 were scheduled to be assembled in Pakistan Railways' carriage factory. The coaches are in use on Pakistan Railways' Rawalpindi-Lahore-Karachi, Lahore-Faisalabad and Rawalpindi-Quetta mail and express trains. The manufacturing kits for the remaining 30 coaches have been received, and 12 are assembled. The technology transfer for the coaches was obtained from China's Chang Chun Car Company. Pakistan Railways purchased 69 locomotives, 15 of which are in use by the railway, as part of a 2003 agreement with China. The remaining 54 are scheduled to be built at Pakistan Railways' locomotive factory. The Chinese locomotives are 37 percent less expensive than European locomotives. Although some Pakistani observers have criticised faulty locomotives purchased by Pakistan Railways from

Dongfang Electric Dongfang Electric Corporation () is a Chinese state-owned manufacturer of power generators and the contracts of power station projects. According to Platts, in 2009-10 the company was the second largest manufacturer of steam turbines by worldwid ...

of China, the railway decided to purchase 45 more 2,000-3,000-horsepower locomotives from Dongfang. The company is willing to redesign the 30 delivered locomotives, strengthening their

underframe An underframe is a framework of wood or metal carrying the main body structure of a railway vehicle, such as a locomotive, carriage or wagon. See also * Chassis * Headstock * Locomotive bed * Locomotive frame * Undercarriage Undercarriage is t ...

s and reducing their weight below 140 tons each. The Beijing Research and Design Institute is committed to provide 300 rail cars to Pakistan Railways. According to a 2004 agreement with China National Machinery and Equipment Group, the Chinese company would begin the construction of Corridor 1 of a light-rail mass-transit system in Karachi which is intended to serve four million commuters. The project, costing about $568 million, would take four-and-a-half years to complete. The contract, awarded on a

build–operate–transfer Build–operate–transfer (BOT) or build–own–operate–transfer (BOOT) is a form of project delivery method, usually for large-scale infrastructure projects, wherein a private entity receives a concession from the public sector (or the priva ...

basis, consists of five corridors. Pakistan signed a series of agreements with China to expand the capability of its railway system. Under an agreement with

China Railway China State Railway Group Company, Ltd., doing business as China Railway (CR), is the national passenger and freight railroad corporation of the People's Republic of China. China Railway operates passenger and freight transport throughout Ch ...

, a Chinese company would provide 1,300 freight cars to Pakistan Railways; 420 would be manufactured in China, and the remaining 880 would be produced at the Moghalpura Railway Workshops in

. In another project, 450 passenger coaches would be rehabilitated at an estimated cost of Rs2.14 billion. This would include air-conditioning 40 coaches, converting 10 power vans and providing 100 high-speed bogies; 30 would be imported from China, and 70 would be manufactured domestically on a transfer-of-technology basis. In a separate agreement, 175 new passenger coaches are being purchased from China. As part of a $100 million agreement signed by Pakistan and China in November 2001, China is to export 69 locomotives to Pakistan to modernize the country's rail fleet. The new engines consume less fuel than older models, and cost less to maintain. The first 15 engines would be manufactured in China, and the remainder would be assembled in Pakistan with Chinese parts and technology. For a Rs7.2 billion project

laying 78,000 tons of rails, China delivered 64,000 tons to Pakistan Railways. Main Railway Line-1 (ML-1) The ML-1 railway line project is one of the biggest projects not only of CPEC Phase-II ($6.8 billion) but of Pakistan’s recent history in terms of logistics and communications. Since the partition of British Indian Empire into India and Pakistan this is the single biggest expansion of railway system. It spans a total distance of 1,872 km from Karachi to Peshawar. It covers 184 railway stations and carries over 75% of country's cargo and passengers. This will be a kind of revolution in terms of communications and industry. After being upgraded, the railway line will be installed with a computer-based signaling and control system – reducing the epidemic of railway accidents that has been seen across Pakistan. It follows all the international safety procedures and protocols to ensure safe operations of Pakistan Railway.

Karakoram Railway

Pakistan awarded a Rs72 million (US$1.2 million) contract to an international consortium to conduct a feasibility study for establishing a rail link with

to improve trade between the countries. The study will cover a section between Havellian and the

over

Mansehra District Mansehra District is a district in Hazara Division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan. It was established as a district in 1976, prior to which it was a tehsil within the former Hazara District. Two former subdivisions of Mansehra were ...

and the

Karakoram Highway The Karakoram Highway ( ur, , translit=śāhirāh qarāquram; known by its initials KKH, also known as N-35 or National Highway 35 ( ur, ) or the China-Pakistan Friendship Highway) is a national highway which extends from Hasan Abdal in ...

. Havellian is already linked with the Pakistani rail network; China would lay about of track in China from

to the Khunjerab Pass, linking Pakistan with China's rail network (largely along the Karakoram Highway). By expanding its stake in Pakistan's rail sector, China can utilise the country's advantageous geographic position at the confluence of

South South is one of the cardinal directions or Points of the compass, compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Pro ...

Central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

and

West Asia Western Asia, West Asia, or Southwest Asia, is the westernmost subregion of the larger geographical region of Asia, as defined by some academics, UN bodies and other institutions. It is almost entirely a part of the Middle East, and includes Ana ...

. During the first week of February 2007, Pakistan Railways and Dongfang Electric signed an agreement to establish a rail link between Havellian and Khunjerab. The route from Havellian and Khunjerab will probably include tunnels. The pre-feasibility study was completed in July 2011.Pre-feasibility for 411 mile rail link between Pakistan’s town of Havelian and Khunjerab completed
''Pamir Times'', 3 July 2011.

Gwadar link

As part of the development plan for its transport and communications network, Pakistan Railways has completed a feasibility study of the Chaman-Kandahar section for laying track between Pakistan and Turkmenistan through Afghanistan. A feasibility study for cost, engineering and design for the construction of a rail link from Gwadar to the existing rail network in Mastung district in

has been finalised. The link to the port of

will open underdeveloped areas of Balochistan to development. The chief aim of the venture is to connect the Central Asian republics with Pakistan Railways' network through Afghanistan. China will benefit from Gwadar's accessible international trade routes to the Central Asian republics and China's

Xinjiang Xinjiang, SASM/GNC: ''Xinjang''; zh, c=, p=Xīnjiāng; formerly romanized as Sinkiang (, ), officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China (PRC), located in the northwest ...

border region. By extending its east-west railway from the Chinese border city of

in Pakistan's northwest, Beijing can trade freight to and from Gwadar along the shortest route (from Karachi to Peshawar). Pakistan's rail network could also supply oil from the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Persis, Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a Mediterranean sea (oceanography), me ...

to Xinjiang and give China rail access to Iran.

References

External links

Official website of Pakistan Railways

Pakistan Ministry of Railways
*
Pakistani train spotters

Pakistan Railways on Google Maps: current and planned tracks and major stations

Pakistan Railway Jobs
{{authority control Railway companies of Pakistan Railway companies established in 1861 Pakistan federal departments and agencies Government-owned companies of Pakistan Companies based in Lahore Pakistani brands Pakistani companies established in 1947 Indian companies established in 1861 Railway companies established in 1947 Government-owned railway companies