ISLAMABAD, 29 DEC (DNA) — Pakistan Railways transported 8.2 million tonnes of freight during the financial year 2024–25, carrying petroleum products, containers, coal, rock phosphate, fertilizer, wheat and other bulk commodities. As per the National Transport Policy 2018, the department is envisaged to play a primary role in long-haul freight movement between industrial zones across the country and to seaports, said an official in the Ministry of Railways.
However, the official said that ageing infrastructure, limited line capacity and shortages of rolling stock have constrained freight operations. To address these challenges, the official said Pakistan Railways has initiated several measures to enhance freight transportation.Among them is the construction of a 105-kilometre railway line, in collaboration with the Sindh government, to link Thar coal mines with the main railway network, he added.
The project aims to facilitate coal transportation across the country and help reduce the import bill on account of imported coal. He said Pakistan Railways also plans to commence work next year on the Karachi–Rohri section (480 km) of Main Line-1 (ML-1) and the Rohri–Nokandi section (884 km) of Main Line-3 (ML-3). These projects are expected to enhance transport capacity and support additional freight traffic from Reko Diq and Thar coal, he said.
Highlighting regional connectivity initiatives, the official said Pakistan Railways has envisioned the construction of the Uzbekistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan Railway Corridor (UAPRC), resumption of the Islamabad–Tehran–Istanbul (ITI) train, and operation of a pilot train to CARs, Russia and beyond, using existing rail links with Iran and multimodal routes through Afghanistan.
For improved safety and operational efficiency, he said several track rehabilitation projects are underway under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP). These include new track construction from Chaman Yard to the Pakistan–Afghanistan border, rehabilitation of the Kotri–Jamshoro to Kotri Akhondabad section, safety works on Tando Adam–Rohri and Rohri–Khanpur sections, and essential safety upgrades on multiple other routes.
To strengthen rolling stock availability, the official said 200 high-capacity freight wagons have already been inducted into the fleet, while another 620 high-capacity wagons are being manufactured indigenously for induction into Pakistan Railways’ existing rolling stock. — DNA
