Pakistan Railways

Pakistan Railways is the state-owned railway operator in Pakistan. Founded in 1886 as the North Western State Railway and headquartered in Lahore, it owns 7,791 kilometres (4,841 miles) of operational track, stretching from Peshawar to Karachi, offering both freight and passenger services, covering 494 operational stations across Pakistan.

In 2014, the Ministry of Railways launched Pakistan Railways Vision 2026, which seeks to increase PR's share in Pakistan's transportation sector from 4% to 20%, using the Rs. 886.68 billion (US$3.2 billion) China–Pakistan Economic Corridor rail upgrade. The plan includes building new locomotives, 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 Rs. 1.11 trillion (US$4.0 billion). Until October 2022, these projects have not started construction or tendering.

Pakistan Railways is an active member of the International Union of Railways. In the 2023–24 financial year, Pakistan Railways carried 42.1 million passengers and 5.7 million tonnes of freight. Currently, it is suffering from poor maintenance.

Mazhar Ali Shah is the current federal secretary and chairman for Pakistan Railways.