‘Railways expects to earn Rs3.5bn more through Cargo Express’

LAHORE: Minister for Railways Muhammad Hanif Abbasi has said that Pakistan Railways expects to earn Rs 3.5 billion more through Cargo Express. However, he regretted that the department had been using earnings from passenger trains to support freight operations, which is against global practices.

While addressing a press conference at the Railway Headquarters on Sunday he said that the process of modernizing Pakistani said that Railways and providing better facilities to passengers is continuing successfully.

He further said that several major projects and development initiatives aimed at transforming the railway system on modern lines.

The minister revealed that efforts are being made to restore the Islamabad–Tehran–Istanbul train service by December 31. He added that following an agreement with Uzbekistan, another accord is being finalized with Kazakhstan, under which freight will be brought up to Chaman. He said that since a railway line already exists from Chaman to Karachi, the agreement will help open new trade routes to Central Asia and Europe.

Abbasi announced that a new 400-kilometer track will be constructed for the Reko Diq project, while work will be carried out on a total of 884 kilometres of the track.

He said that negotiations are underway with the Asian Development Bank for Rs 2 billion agreement to upgrade the 500-kilometer track from Rohri to Karachi. Owing to the special interest of Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, the groundbreaking of this project is expected by July 2026. The minister added that upgradation of the Rohri–Peshawar track and Main Line-2 is also under consideration.

Abbasi said that the Karachi Railway Station has been redeveloped into a larger and more modern facility than Lahore Station, where cleaning and washing operations have been outsourced for improved management.

He said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has been requested to inaugurate the newly upgraded rake of Shalimar Express on November 7. He added that Awam Express, Rehman Baba Express, and Allama Iqbal Express are also being upgraded to include modern kitchens, dining cars, and quality meals similar to those of Shalimar Express.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025