Khunjerab Railway ( ur, ), also known as China–Pakistan railway, is one of several proposed

railway lines in Pakistan This is a list of Railway lines in Pakistan. The lines and the stations are owned and operated by Pakistan Railways. Rail lines in Pakistan are divided into main lines and branch lines. Main lines Branch lines * Hyderabad–Badin Branch Line * ...

, to be operated and maintained by

Pakistan Railways Pakistan Railways ( ur, ) is the national, state-owned railway company of Pakistan. Founded in 1861 and headquartered in Lahore, it owns of track across Pakistan, stretching from Torkham to Karachi, offering both freight and passenger servi ...

. The current active line begins from Taxila Junction station and ends at Havelian station. A proposed extension will see new track laid from Havelian station to the Pakistan-China border at 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 ...

where it will link up with

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 ...

Kashgar–Hotan railway The Kashgar–Hotan railway or Kahe railway (, abbreviated ), is a single-track, non-electrified, railway in Xinjiang, China between Kashgar and Hotan. The railway is in length and runs along the southern edge of the Taklamakan Desert, connecting ...

History

In 2007, consultants were engaged to investigate the construction of a railway through the

Gilgit-Baltistan Gilgit-Baltistan (; ), formerly known as the Northern Areas, is a region administered by Pakistan as an administrative territory, and constituting the northern portion of the larger Kashmir region which has been the subject of a dispute bet ...

to connect

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 ...

with

. A feasibility study started in November 2009 for a line connecting

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 ...

and

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 ...

. 750 km (466 mi) of the line would extend through Pakistan, while the remaining 350 km (217 mi) in China. In June 2014, China commissioned a "preliminary research study" to build an international rail link to Pakistan. In 2016 this 682 km proposed railway link was reported to be part of 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 ...

, and was to commence construction during the second phase of CPEC between 2018-2022. However the construction of this railway line was not mentioned in the CPEC Long Term Plan from 2017-2030http://pc.gov.pk/uploads/cpec/LTP.pdf released jointly by China and Pakistan in 2017. China's involvement in several rail projects in Pakistan is motivated primarily by commercial considerations, but it also sees distinct advantages for its improved transportation and access to

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 ...

and 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 ...

states.

Route

The stations on this line are as follows: ''Active Line'' * Taxila Cantonment Junction * Usman Khattar * Mohra Shah Wali * Hattar * Kot Najib Ullah * Haripur Hazara * Serai Saleh * Baldher *

''Proposed Line'' *

Abbottabad Abbottabad (; Urdu, Punjabi language(HINDKO dialect) آباد, translit=aibṭabād, ) is the capital city of Abbottabad District in the Hazara region of eastern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It is the 40th largest city in Pakistan and fourth ...

Mansehra Mansehra is a city in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan and the headquarters of Mansehra District. It is the 71st largest city of Pakistan and 7th largest city in the province. The name of the city (written in Hindko, Urdu and Goj ...

Besham Besham (Urdu, ps, بشام; also known as Besham Qila) is a city in the Shangla District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Located on the right bank of the Indus River (locally known as ''Abasin''), Besham serves as a major junction on the Karak ...

Dasu Dasu or Dassu (Abasin Kohistani, Urdu and ps, ) is the district headquarters of Upper Kohistan District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It had 15 Union Councils before the separation of the Kandia valley. Since its being named as Tehsil, the Da ...

Chilas Chilas ( ur, ) is a city and is the divisional capital of Diamer District located in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan, on the Indus River. It is part of the Silk Road connected by the Karakoram Highway and N-90 National Highway, which link it to Islam ...

Gilgit Gilgit (; Shina: ; ur, ) is the capital city of Gilgit–Baltistan, Pakistan. The city is located in a broad valley near the confluence of the Gilgit River and the Hunza River. It is a major tourist destination in Pakistan, serving as a h ...

Hunza Hunza may refer to: * Hunza, Iran * Hunza Valley, an area in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan ** Hunza (princely state), a former principality ** Hunza District, a recently established district ** Hunza River, a waterway ** Hunza Peak, a mou ...

Sost Sost or SOST may refer to: Places *Sost, Afghanistan, a village in Badakhshan Province *Sost, Pakistan, the last town inside Pakistan on the Karakoram Highway before the Chinese border * Sost, Hautes-Pyrénées, a commune in France Other uses ...

* Khunjerab Junction

Cost

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

to boost trade relations between the two countries.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Khunjerab Railway 5 ft 6 in gauge railways in Pakistan Transport in Gilgit-Baltistan Economy of Gilgit-Baltistan Proposed railway lines in China Proposed public transport in Pakistan Mountain railways Rail transport in China Rail transport in Pakistan China–Pakistan relations China–Pakistan Economic Corridor

History

Route

Cost

See also

References