Railways - Pakistan
The network of Pakistan Railways
comprises of 7,791 route kilometers, 455 Locomotives, 1,732 passengers coaches
and 15,164 freight wagons.
History :-
The history of rail transport in Pakistan covers the period beginning in
1855 during the British Raj, when
several railway companies began laying track and operating in what is today Pakistan, and ending
during the present-day nationalised company under the name of Pakistan Railways. The railway system in
Pakistan was originally built as a patchwork of local rail links operated by
small private railway companies. These included the Scinde Railway, Punjab Railway, Delhi Railway and Indus
Steam Flotilla companies. In 1870, these 4
companies were amalgamated into the Scinde, Punjab & Delhi Railway company. Shortly thereafter, several other railways lines were built
including the Indus
Valley State Railway, Punjab
Northern State Railway, Sind–Sagar Railway, Sind–Pishin
State Railway, Trans–Baluchistan
Railway and Kandahar
State Railway. These 6 companies along with the
Scinde, Punjab & Delhi Railway company merged together to form the North
Western State Railway in 1880. Between 1880 to 1947, the
North Western State Railway expanded throughout Punjab and Sindh. In 1947, when
Pakistan achieved its independence from Britain, the
majority of the North Western State Railway infrastructure fell under
Pakistan's territory and was renamed to Pakistan
Western Railway. In East Bengal, portions of
the Assam
Bengal Railway fell under Pakistan's territory
and was thus renamed to Pakistan
Eastern Railway. During the early years after
independence, the railway system underwent reorganisation, some of which proved
controversial. Pakistan adopted 8,122 kilometres (5,047 mi) of the North
Western State Railway - of this 6,880 kilometres (4,280 mi) was 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in),
506 kilometres (314 mi) was 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in), and 736 kilometres (457 mi) was 762 mm (2 ft 6 in) narrow
gauge. From 1948, usage of railways increased
and the network became profitable. From 1950 to 1955, the Mashriq-Maghreb
Express operated from Koh-e-Taftan in West Pakistan to Chittagong in East Pakistan, using Indian railway track and rolling stock for a 1986 km (1245
miles) journey between Attari and Benapole. In 1954, the a branch line was
extended from the Karachi–Peshawar
Railway Line to Mardan and Charsada. In 1956
,the Jacobabad-Kashmore 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in) gauge line was converted to 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in).
In 1974, Pakistan Western Railways was renamed to Pakistan Railways. The Kot Adu-Kashmore section of the Kotri–Attock
Railway Line was constructed between 1969 and
1973 providing an alternative route from Karachi to northern Pakistan. In
February 2006, the 126 km Hyderabad–Khokhrapar Branch Line was converted to 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in). On 8 January 2016, the Lodhran–Raiwind
Branch Line double rail project was completed.
Declining passenger numbers and financial losses in the late 1980s to early
1990s prompted the closure of many branch lines and small stations. The 1990s
saw severe cuts in rail subsidies and mismanagement within the company. Due to falling passenger numbers, rail subsidies from the government are necessary to keep the railways financially
viable.
Structure :-
Pakistan Railways is a state-owned enterprise under
the Ministry of Railways. The Ministry of Railways Secretary is the
official chairman of the Pakistan Railway Board. Pakistan Railways comprises
three functional units :
- Operations
- Manufacturing
- Welfare & special initiative unit
Divisions :-
Pakistan Railway comprises of eight
territorial operating divisions: