Pakistan Railways rolls out new 20-coach Karakoram Express rake

Pakistan Railways Chief Executive Officer Muhammad Hafeezullah inaugurated a new 20-coach rake of the Karakoram Express at Lahore Railway Station on Friday. The service will be operated under a private-sector arrangement.

The train leaves Lahore and Karachi daily at 3:00pm and takes about 19 hours between the two cities. It stops at Raiwind, Sahiwal, Khanewal, Bahawalpur, Rohri, Nawabshah, Hyderabad, Landhi and Drigh Road.

Four classes of accommodation are offered: AC Sleeper, AC Business, AC Standard and Economy Class. Passengers will be given mineral water, freshly prepared meals, bedding, mobile charging points, Wi-Fi and an infotainment system. Pakistan Railways said AC Sleeper and AC Business passengers will receive complimentary services as well, without specifying them.

Pakistan Railways described the new stock as carrying modern passenger facilities and upgraded travel services, and said the rake is meant to improve passenger comfort, raise service standards and draw more private-sector participation into railway operations.

Speaking at the ceremony, Hafeezullah said the railway would continue upgrading its trains in line with the vision of the federal minister for railways, and that efforts to improve the tracks were also under way. He said upgradation of Main Line-1 is expected to commence in February next year. He did not name the federal minister in the remarks reported.

Main Line-1 is the trunk route of the Pakistan Railways network.

The announcement did not name the private operator, give fares for the four classes, or say how many passengers the rake carries. It also gave no cost, contractor or completion date for the ML-1 work.

The Karakoram Express runs between Lahore and Karachi. Every stop named in the announcement lies in Punjab or Sindh, and the route does not reach Gilgit-Baltistan.