Govt to resume two suspended passenger trains

Minister for Pakistan Railroads Hanif Abbasi said two passenger trains would be restored in September and October as part of a phased resurrection of stopped routes.

The Mohenjo Daro passenger train will resume operations on September 15 while a service between the eastern city of Sialkot and Rawalpindi will start on October 15, the railroads ministry said in a statement issued here on Saturday, Minister Hanif Abbasi said.

Abbasi said the railway authorities had been asked to make provisions.

“All suspended trains will be restored in phases,” he was quoted as saying in the statement.

Pakistan’s huge but antiquated rail system has for years struggled with crumbling infrastructure, lengthy travel times and financial woes, leading successive governments to seek investment to modernise the system.

The government has stepped up attempts to restart passenger services and upgrade infrastructure with Pakistan Railroads reporting record revenue of Rs 115 billion ($414 million) in the last fiscal year. The railway authorities have also been working on station improvements and on the introduction of new and reinstated services.

Work was due to start in January on the long-delayed Main Line-1 (ML-1) railway upgrade, which was in its final phase of preparations, Abbasi added.

ML-1, the Karachi-Peshawar railway artery, has been in the pipeline for upgrade under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor for a long time but has been repeatedly delayed over the issue of financing and the scope of the project. More recently Pakistan has attempted to push it in segments, starting with the Karachi-Rohri portion.

“The ML-1 project will change Pakistan Railways,” Abbasi stated.


As part of a phased restoration of stopped routes, Pakistan will resume two passenger rail services in September and October, said Railroads Minister Hanif Abbasi.

The Mohenjo Daro passenger train would be resumed on Sept 15 while a service between the eastern city of Sialkot and Rawalpindi will be launched on Oct 15, Railroads Minister Hanif Abbasi said in a statement published here on Saturday, the ministry said.

Abbasi said the railway authorities had been asked to make provisions.

“All suspended trains will be restored in phases,” he was quoted as saying in the statement.

Pakistan’s huge but antiquated rail system has for years struggled with crumbling infrastructure, lengthy travel times and financial woes, leading successive governments to seek investment to modernise the system.

The government has stepped up attempts to restart passenger services and upgrade infrastructure with Pakistan Railroads reporting record revenue of Rs 115 billion ($414 million) in the last fiscal year. The railway authorities have also been working on station improvements and on the introduction of new and reinstated services.

Work was due to start in January on the long-delayed Main Line-1 (ML-1) railway upgrade, which was in its final phase of preparations, Abbasi added.

ML-1, the Karachi-Peshawar railway artery, has been in the pipeline for upgrade under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor for a long time but has been repeatedly delayed over the issue of financing and the scope of the project. More recently, Pakistan has worked to promote it in stages, starting with the Karachi-Rohri portion.

“The ML-1 project will change the face of Pakistan Railways,” Abbasi stated.