Pakistan railways moves 8.2m tonnes of freight in FY25, eyes capacity expansion

Pakistan Railways transported 8.2 million tonnes of freight during the financial year 2024–25, carrying a range of bulk commodities including petroleum products, containers, coal, fertilizer, wheat and rock phosphate, an official from the Ministry of Railways said.

Under the National Transport Policy 2018, Pakistan Railways is expected to play a central role in long-distance freight movement between industrial zones and seaports. However, the official said freight operations continue to face constraints due to ageing infrastructure, limited line capacity and shortages of rolling stock.

To overcome these challenges, Pakistan Railways has launched multiple initiatives aimed at expanding freight capacity. Among the key projects is the construction of a 105-kilometre railway line, in collaboration with the Sindh government, to connect Thar coal mines with the main rail network. The project is intended to support nationwide coal transportation and help reduce reliance on imported coal.

The official said Pakistan Railways plans to begin work next year on the Karachi–Rohri section of Main Line-1, spanning 480 kilometres, as well as the 884-kilometre Rohri–Nokandi section of Main Line-3. These upgrades are expected to increase line capacity and facilitate additional freight traffic from Reko Diq and Thar coal projects.

On regional connectivity, he said Pakistan Railways has proposed the Uzbekistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan Railway Corridor, the resumption of the Islamabad–Tehran–Istanbul train service, and the operation of a pilot freight train to Central Asian Republics, Russia and onward destinations through existing links with Iran and multimodal routes via Afghanistan.

For safety and operational efficiency, several track rehabilitation and safety improvement projects are underway under the Public Sector Development Programme. 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 the Tando Adam–Rohri and Rohri–Khanpur sections, along with safety upgrades on other routes.

To strengthen rolling stock availability, the official said 200 high-capacity freight wagons have already been inducted, while another 620 high-capacity wagons are being manufactured locally for future induction into the Pakistan Railways fleet.