Balochistan’s first mass transit train operation begins in Quetta

The Jinnah People’s Train, a public mass transit train service, was formally inaugurated in Quetta to serve the people a low-cost, safe and convenient mode of public transportation.

The ceremony was attended by province and federal officials, railroad authorities, political personalities and residents. Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti and Federal Minister for Railroads Hanif Abbasi jointly launched the service.

The Jinnah People’s Train will run on a railroad track of 32 kilometers between Sariab and Kuchlak and seven stations will be set up on the route so that passengers from different places will be able to travel on it.

The two-coach train can seat 198 passengers and allow 30 more to stand up. The service is meant for students, government and private sector personnel, laborers, traders and other citizens traveling routinely between Kuchlak, Sariab and Quetta.

The fare recommended is between Rs50 to Rs100, which would be affordable for regular commuters. At the inauguration it was announced that senior citizens and persons with disabilities would be permitted to travel for free.

Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti, addressing the occasion, said the provincial administration has taken initiatives to provide improved transport facilities to the people of Balochistan.

Instead of waiting for an expensive and long arrangement to import a train from China, the government has decided to use locally available resources, he said.

Bugti claimed the Jinnah People’s Train would assist the common people and noted that the provincial administration was working to extend the service from Bostan to Mastung in the future.

He further added that the government would keep working for the development of Balochistan and betterment of public infrastructure.

“This is an important development for the public transport system of Balochistan,” Federal Minister for Railroads Hanif Abbasi said. He claimed the government has moved forward with a metro-style rail service.

Abbasi further urged for another train of similar sort to be started within 120 days. Work on the Main Line-1 (ML-1) project is set to start in January and the project is estimated to cost roughly $2 billion, he said.

The Jinnah People’s Train is designed to ease congestion on crowded roads in Quetta, and provide commuters with a comparatively low-cost alternative to vehicle transport.

The service comes after the launch of Green and Pink bus services in Quetta and is another effort to extend the city’s public transportation network.