Pakistan Railways approves reform roadmap targeting freight growth

Pakistan Railways has approved a reform roadmap it says will modernise the network, expand freight operations and put the department on a more sustainable financial footing.

An official in the Ministry of Railways, speaking to the Associated Press of Pakistan, said the plan covers freight operations, passenger services, private-sector participation and digital transformation. The official was not named, and no cost or timeline was given for the programme.

The central target is freight. Pakistan Railways currently carries 8 percent of the country's freight and wants about 20 percent after Main Line-1 is upgraded, the official said. The railway wants to move more coal, containers, cement, fertilizers, rock phosphate and other bulk commodities to strengthen its position in the national freight sector.

On passengers, the official said the share is to rise from 5 percent to 7.52 percent once the ML-1 work is finished.

The modernisation programme covers the ML-1, ML-2 and ML-3 corridors, with the stated aim of raising line capacity, improving safety, cutting journey times and making operations more efficient. It also includes new freight terminals, marshalling yards and multimodal logistics parks, plus upgraded passenger facilities at stations.

Under the digital component, Pakistan Railways is introducing Wi-Fi at major stations, e-ticketing through the RABTA system, live train tracking, a passenger complaint management system, smart stations, automated command and control, digital freight booking, automated weighbridges, freight parcel management services and enterprise resource planning.

The official said RABTA is already fully functional for digital booking and payment. The SAP-based ERP system is being used for finance, procurement, inventory, stores, payroll and human resources, which the official said has improved transparency, efficiency and real-time decision-making.

The roadmap also proposes outsourcing the management of selected railway hospitals and schools and giving the private sector a larger role in commercial land development.

The greater private-sector participation would help improve service delivery, attract investment and reduce the financial burden on the government while enhancing operational efficiency, service quality and revenue generation, the official said.

The ministry expects the changes to improve passenger facilities and ridership, raise freight volumes and strengthen Pakistan Railways' long-term financial sustainability.