The Pakistan Railways reform roadmap, approved by the department, aims to modernise its operations, improve passenger services, expand freight transport and secure long-term finances. An official of the Ministry of Railways gave the details on 4 November. The official said the plan is meant to make the department more efficient, customer-oriented and financially sustainable.
What the roadmap covers
The roadmap rests on four pillars: stronger freight operations, passenger services built on better infrastructure, more private-sector participation and faster digital transformation. The official said the modernisation programme involves upgrading three corridors, ML-1, ML-2 and ML-3, to add line capacity, improve safety, shorten travel times and raise operational efficiency. ML-1 is Main Line-1, the main railway corridor that several of the targets depend on.
The plan also includes freight terminals, marshalling yards (where wagons are sorted and assembled into trains) and multimodal logistics parks, which combine rail with other forms of transport. Passenger facilities at railway stations are to be upgraded as part of the same programme.
Freight and passenger targets, and digital steps
Pakistan Railways aims to lift its share of the national freight market from 8 per cent to around 20 per cent once ML-1 has been upgraded. The department will give priority to coal, containers, cement, fertilisers, rock phosphate and other bulk commodities. On the passenger side, the target is to raise the share from 5 per cent to 7.52 per cent after the same upgrade. No completion date for the ML-1 work was announced, so both targets depend on work without a set end date.
On the digital side, Wi-Fi is being introduced at major stations, and e-ticketing runs through the RABTA application, which the official said is already fully functional for digital booking and payment. Real-time train tracking, a passenger complaint system and smart stations are also planned, along with digital freight booking, automated weighbridges and freight parcel management. The department already uses an SAP-based Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, which handles finances, purchasing, stores, payroll and staff records.
Pakistan Railways also plans to outsource the management of selected hospitals and schools, and to encourage private firms to take part in commercial land development. The official said greater private participation would improve service delivery, attract investment and reduce the financial burden on the government. Efficiency and revenue are also expected to improve, the official added.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Pakistan Railways ne ek naya reform roadmap manzoor kiya hai, jis ka maqsad freight aur passenger services behtar karna aur department ko maali tor par mazboot banana hai. Freight ka hissa 8 fisad se barh kar lagbhag 20 fisad karne ka hadaf hai, lekin yeh ML-1 ki upgradation ke baad hoga. Mustaqbil mein station par Wi-Fi, RABTA ke zariye tikat booking aur train tracking jaisi sahuliyat milne ki umeed hai. Abhi kiraye ya freight charges mein koi tabdeeli ka elaan nahi hua.
