ISLAMABAD — As part of its broader renewable energy and infrastructure modernisation drive, the federal government has begun transitioning 155 railway stations across Pakistan to solar power — a move expected to save the national exchequer millions of rupees annually in terms of electricity spent by the railway stations.
The update emerged during a high-level meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at the PM House on Wednesday, where Federal Minister for Railways Hanif Abbasi briefed the premier on ongoing reforms within Pakistan Railways.
According to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office, the solar shift is part of a larger restructuring agenda that also includes the resumption of previously suspended train services. The Bolan Mail has recently been relaunched as a daily service, while Dera Ghazi Khan Express and Khushhal Khan Khattak Express have also resumed operations.
Meanwhile, concrete sleeper factories in Sukkur, Khanewal, and Kohat are being outsourced under public-private partnership models. The same approach is being applied to railway-run hospitals, schools, colleges, and rest houses located in major cities including Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta, Multan, and Sukkur.
The Royal Palm Golf and Country Club in Lahore is being auctioned, and the government has hinted at developing a five-star hotel on the premises.
Efforts to digitise Pakistan Railways are being fast-tracked with a comprehensive overhaul of the IT Directorate already underway. Several subsidiaries and units—including Pakistan Railways Advisory & Consultancy Services, Railcop, the Freight Transport Company, and the Project Implementation Unit—have been dissolved as part of institutional streamlining. Additionally, the recovery of railway land worth Rs10 billion has been reported.
In collaboration with the Punjab government, several infrastructure projects are under execution. These include a proposed high-speed train service between Lahore and Rawalpindi, the upgradation of both stations, and the introduction of suburban rail services on eight branch lines within the province.
Plans were also discussed to develop a green belt along both sides of the Shahdara Bagh–Kot Lakhpat railway corridor. Parallel development in Balochistan is in motion, with the upgradation of Saryab–Kuchlak and Quetta–Chaman railway lines underway in partnership with the provincial government.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, while appreciating the reform progress, instructed the formulation of a strategic plan to expand Pakistan Railways’ network toward Central Asia to strengthen trade connectivity. He also directed authorities to expedite the long-standing goal of linking Gwadar to the national railway grid.
