pakistan railway

Perpared by: Nadeem Meraj

INTRODUCTION

PAKISTAN RAILWAYS

Pakistan Railways is the state-owned railway company of Pakistan. It is a large

organization under the administration of the Pakistani Government's Ministry of

Railways. Pakistan Railways provides an important mode of transportation in the

farthest corners of the country and brings them closer for business, sightseeing,

pilgrimage and education. It has been a great integrating force and forms the life line

of the country by catering to its needs for large scale movement of people and freight.

The current chairman is Mr. Shakil Durrani.

HISTORY OF PAKISTAN RAILWAYS

History of rail transport in Pakistan

Extent of the Railway network in 1909 The possibility of Karachi as a sea port was

first noticed in the middle of 19th century. Sir Henry Edward Frere was appointed

Commissioner of Sindh after its annexation with Bombay in 1847 and sought

permission from Lord Dalhousie to begin a survey for a sea port. He also initiated the

survey for a railway line in 1858. It was proposed that a railway line from Karachi

City to Kotri, steam navigation up the Indus and Chenab rivers up to Multan and from

there another railway to Lahore and beyond be constructed.

Perpared by: Group#8

It was on 13 May 1861, that the first railway line was opened for public traffic

between Karachi City and Kotri, a distance of 105 miles (169 km). The line between

Karachi City and Kiamari was opened on 16 June 1889. During 1897 the line from

Keamari to Kotri was doubled.

The railway line from Peshawar to Karachi closely follows Alexander’s line of march

through the Hindu Kush mountains to the Arabian Sea. Different sections on the

existing main line from Peshawar to Lahore and Multan and branch lines were

constructed in the last quarter of 19th century and early years of 20th century.

The four sections, i.e., Scinde (Sindh) Railways, Indian Flotilla Company, Punjab

Railway and Delhi Railways, working in a single company, were later on

amalgamated into the Scinde, Punjab & Delhi Railways Company and purchased by

the Secretary of State for India in 1885, and in January 1886, it was named North

Western State Railways, which was later on renamed as North Western Railway.

At the time of independence, 1,947 route miles (3,133 km) of North Western

Railways were transferred to India, leaving 5,048 route miles (8,122 km) to Pakistan.

In 1954, the railway line was extended to Mardan and Charsada, and in 1956 the

Jacobabad-Kashmore 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) gauge line was converted into broad gauge.

In 1961, the Pakistani portion of North Western Railways was renamed Pakistan

Railways. The Kot Adu-Kashmore line was constructed between 1969 and 1973

providing an alternative route from Karachi up the country.

Proposals

In 2007, contracts were let for studies into a link between Pakistan and China via the

border crossing near Kashgar. A line to the deepwater port of Gwadar is also

proposed.

Major Routes

The total length of railway tracks in Pakistan is 5,072 miles (8,162 km). The busiest

routes include:

Peshawar-Karachi

Peshawar-Quetta

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Lahore-Sialkot

Lahore-Faisalabad

Faisalabad-Khanewal

Major Stations and Junctions

The major stations and junctions between Peshawar and Karachi include:

Peshawar,Darya Khan,Mianwali,Bhakkar,Kaloorkot Nowshehra Jn., Attock city,

Rawalpindi, Jhelum, Lalamusa Jn., Gujrat, Wazirabad Jn., Gujranwala, Lahore,

Lahore Cantt., Raiwind Jn., Okara, Sahiwal, Chichawatni, Mianchannu, Khanewal

Jn., Multan cantt., Lodhran Jn., Bahawalpur, Samasatta Jn., Khanpur, Rahim Yar

Khan, Sadiqabad, Pannu Aqil Cantt., Rohri Jn., Khairpur, Bhiria Road, Nawabshah,

Tandu Adam, Hyderabad Jn., Kotri Jn.,Jangshahi, Landhi Jn., Karachi cantt. and

Karachi City. The major stations and junctions between Peshawar and Quetta are:

Peshawar to Rohri Jn. (same as above), Sukkur, Shikarpur, Jacobabad Jn., Dera

Murad Jamali, Sibi Jn., Ab-e-Gum, Mach Spezand Jn and Quetta

Passenger Traffic

Passenger traffic comprises 50% of the railway's total revenue. During 1999-2000,

this amounted to Rs. 4.8 billion. Pakistan Railways carries 65 million passengers

annually and daily operates 228 mail, express and passenger trains. The number of

passengers carried daily is thus about 178,000. Pakistan Railways also operates

special trains during occasions like congregations of the Dawat-e-Islami and the

Tableeghi Ijtima.

Freight Traffic

The Freight Business Unit, with 12,000 personnel, operates over 200 freight stations

on the railway network. The Unit serves two major ports of Karachi and Bin Qasim as

well as all four provinces of the country and generates revenue from the movement of

agricultural, industrial and imported products, Petroleum Oil & Lubricants (POL),

wheat, coal, fertilizer, rock phosphate, cement, container traffic and sugar. About 39%

of the revenue is generated from the transportation of POL products, 19% from

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imported wheat, fertilizer and rock phosphate. The remaining 42% is earned from

domestic traffic.

The Freight Business Unit offers services to meet customer requirements and reduce

costs through efficiency, innovation and modernization. All possible efforts are made

to increase revenues and pass on the benefits to customers. The Freight Business Unit

is headed by an additional General Manager.[

The Freight Rates structure is based on market trends, particularly of road transport,

which is the Railways' main competitor. The freight rates are no longer rigid but

flexible, depending on the lead, peak-off peak season, and quantum offered.[citation

needed]

Pakistan Locomotive Factory, Risalpur

Pakistan Railways Headquarters in Lahore, Pakistan. Pakistan Railways Headquarters

in Lahore, Pakistan. The Pakistan Locomotive Factory at Risalpur, a public spread on

an area of 251 acres, was put into service in 1993 with the collaboration of

Government of Japan at a total cost of Rs.2284.00 million, including a foreign

exchange component of Rs.1496.00 million. The factory can produce two diesel-

electric locomotives per month on single-shift basis, but this can be doubled by

introducing a second working shift. The factory is equipped with the state-of-the-art

equipment which can be employed in the building of diesel-electric locomotives of

suitable horsepower, as well as electric locomotives with minor adjustments.[2]

Since 1993, twenty three PHA-20 type 2,000 hp diesel-electric locomotives have

rolled out of the factory.[2] The ongoing project of 3,000 hp AGE-30 diesel-electric

locomotives is at the verge of its completion, which is a milestone in the history of the

factory.[2] Apart from manufacturing new locomotives, the Pakistan Locomotive

Factory has also successfully rehabilitated five diesel-electric locomotives of GRU-20

Type and manufactured other various spares/components for railway maintenance

divisions and rehabilitation projects.

The biggest problem for Pakistan Railways is the soaring budget deficit. Although

railways are traditionally not expected to earn profit. However, it is legitimate to

expect from railways to meet at least operational expenses. The reason for this loss

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the presence of unnecessary departments which are white elephant for Pakistan

Railways. The biggest among those is the Railways Police followed by Stores and

Purchase. These department should be abolished from Railways without further delay.

Their utility for railways is marginal at best. The Audit and Accounts, Railways

Workshops Division, and General Administration staff need drastic cuts. These

organizations are heavily overstaffed. If the policy makers has the stomach to make

tough choices and get rid of the white elephents and introduce necessary reforms, the

budget deficit of railways can be reduced to bare minimum. If they will continue to

ignore the presence of non-productive over staffed departments with very

insignificant contribution in overall performanc e of Pakistan Railways, the

department will continue to decline. It shall never be in a position to meet the

expectations of public.

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OPERATION MANAGEMENT

Pakistan Railway comprises 8,775 route km, 707 stations and 37 trains halts. It has a

fleet of 563 diesel electric locomotives, 25,815 wagons and 1,623 passenger coaches.

Maintenance is provided by three major locomotive workshops and thirty-five smaller

workshops. Signaling facilities at important stations are track circulated within

interlocking limits. Most routes have VHF radio coverage for communication

between train dispatchers and trains. Telephone Communication is over wire lines and

microwave.

ROUTE AND TRACK LENGTH:

GAUGE ROUTE KM TRACK KM

Broad Gauge 7,718 11,344

Metre Gauge 445 555

Narrow Gauge+ 611 726

TOTAL 8,774 12,625

RAILWAY ANNOUNCE NEW TIME TABLE

On Sunday, November 01, 2009

THE Pakistan Railways has introduced a new train between LahoreóMalakwal and

has restored the Subak Raftar between LahoreóRawalpindi in addition to limiting the

number of train stops at the Cantt railway stations for security reasons.

According to a press release on Saturday, the destination of the Sukhur Express has

been curtailed at Karachi City instead of going all the way to the Karachi Cantt.

Similarly the Shah Rukn-e-Alam Train has also been stopped at Karachi City instead

of Karachi Cantt. In another such measure, the Khyber Mail, Awami Express, Quetta

Express and Farid Express have all dispossessed of their stoppages at the Lahore

Cantt Station.

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The new timetable will be enforced from November 1 (today). The PR has made

major changes in operations and routes of the trains, rerouting the Quetta Express

through KhanewalóLodharan instead of Multan. The timetable also governs the

extension of the routes of Sakhi Abbas Passenger Train whose route has been

extended till Okara instead of Pattoki.

The Millat Express has also been given an extension in the route making it go till

Sargodha instead of ending its journey at Faisalabad. The Tezgamís stoppages at Kot

Lallo, Gujarat, Wazirabad and Chaklala have been eliminated.

The Bahawalpur express has lost its stop at Chutiana and the Hazara Express lost the

Kot Lallu stop.

However, new stops have been introduced including Bolan Mail’s stops at

Bakhtiarabad Domki and Dera Alayar; Tezroís stops at Shorkot Cantt, Landi and Drig

Road; the Hazara Expressís new stops at Kotri; Karachi Expressís stops at Kotlakhpat

Landhi; Millat Express at Drig Road; Shalimar Expressís stops at Kot Lakhpat Drig

Road and the Super Expressís stops at Liaqatpur and Phularwan.

The Sangla Shuttle service, which operated between Faisalabad and Sangla Hill, has

been cancelled besides the FaislabadóSargodha A-Shuttle service and B-Shuttle

service. The shuttle train between Lahore and Lalamusa has also been shut down.

The 101 up/ 102 down Islamabad Express has been renamed to Subak Raftar. The 109

up/ 110 down shuttle train has been renamed Margala Express. 06:30 and 04:45 time

has been provided during night and day time to start at least nine and six trains

respectively from the Karachi Port area.

According to the new schedule, the Khyber Mail will depart from Karachi at 2200 hrs

to reach Peshawar at 640 hrs. The Bolan Mail will leave Karachi city at 1700 to reach

Queatta at 1410. Tezro will leave Karachi cantt at 2100 hrs to reach Mardan at 0400

hrs. Tezgam will depart Karachi at 1700 hrs to reach Islamabad at 2015 hrs.

The Allama Iqbal Express will leave Karachi at 1450 hrs to reach Sialkot at 1540 hrs.

Hazara Express will depart Karachi at 535 hrs to reach Hwailiyan at 1330.

The Awami Express will depart from Karachi Cantt at 730 for Peshawar at 1720 hrs.

The Korakaram Express will leave Karachi Cantt at 1600 hrs to reach Lahore at 1015

hrs. The Subak Raftar will reach Rawalpindi 1230 after leaving Islamabad at 0730

hrs.

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Railways need 410 locomotives for daily operations:

Minister says automatic signalling system to be installed on Karachi-Lahore track by

mid-2010Staff Report

Railways Minister Ghulam Ahmed Bilour said the Pakistan Railways needed 410

locomotives for day-to-day operations, but had only managed to purchase 122

locomotives during the last 20 years.

Talking to reporters at his office, the minister said Railways was doing everything to

mitigate human errors in the future and implementing systems that would make a train

stop automatically, even if a driver ignored a red signal. He said an automatic

signalling system would be installed by mid-2010 on the Karachi-Lahore track.

The system would be imported from Sweden or Canada through a loan from the

Islamic Development Bank. The minister said successive governments had failed to

pay attention to improving the condition of Pakistan Railways and one of the key

reasons for the deteriorating stae of affairs of the department was the inconsistent

policies of successive governments. “Governments have invested more on developing

a road network and little importance has been given to the needs of the railways,”

Bilour said.

“We are even operating some 40-year-old locomotives,” he added. “We receive

complaints every day that a particular train broke down due to technical fault in a

locomotive.” Bilour said Pakistan exported locomotives to Bangladesh in 1992, but

now the country has been reduced to importing locomotives. The minister said rail

tracks were in dilapidated conditions at various places, adding that the government

was not investing in improving rail tracks, which resulted in longer travel times for

short journeys. Bilour, however, avoided questions regarding the operational losses

and corruption in the railways. He said all efforts were being made to improve the rail

cargo service. “We are opening our doors to the private sector and plans are underway

to outsource some operations.” Regarding the recent train accident in Karachi, the

minister said it was caused by human error

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TRAINS OF PAKISTAN RAILWAY –

An Introduction

1. Allama Iqbal Express (9 Up/10 Dn)

Named after the national poet of Pakistan, Mohammad Iqbal. The word 'Allama'

means 'scholar'. The train is so named because it has a Karachi-Sialkot route and

Sialkot is the birth place of Allama Iqbal.

Interestingly, for atleast 40 years, Allama Iqbal Express was called 'Shaheen

Express' (mid-1950s to mid-1990s). The word 'Shaheen' means 'Falcon' in Urdu and

Allama Iqbal in his poetry always referred to falcon as a creature with high moral

character (as it never eats a dead animal, lives high on the mountains, etc.). The

Shaheen Express also had a Karachi-Sialkot route via Faisalabad.

The Allama Iqbal express currently runs on the Karachi-Lahore-Sialkot route. Current

accommodation available on this train includes First Class Sleeper and Economy.

2. Awam Express (13 Up/14 Dn)

'Awam' means 'people' in Urdu, so this is the People's Express. It always had a

Karachi-Peshawar route, and now shares the honour of having the longest running

route (1721km) in Pakistan along with the historic Khyber Mail. PR's first three-tier

second class sleepers were introduced on the Awam Express. Many politicians have

used the Awam Express (fewer than have used the Khyber Mail, though) to run their

country-wide political campaigns. Accomodation available on this train is AC Lower

and Economy.

3. Badar Express (109 Up/110 Dn)

4. Ghauri Express (107 Up/108 Dn)

'Badar' means 'Moon' in Urdu. It runs Lahore - Faisalabad - Shorkot Cantt. Jn.

(249km) in the Up Direction and Faisalabad - Lahore (142km) in the Down Direction.

'Ghauri' Express is named after the first Muslim Ruler of India, Mohammad Ghauri,

and has the same route as the 'Badar Express'.

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Accomodation on both trains is AC Parlour, and First Class Sitter. Both of these trains

are unusual as each has different Up and Down routes (which are, however

complementary). The two trains share rakes.

This 'rake sharing' works as follows:

4:10 hrs: 108 Dn Ghauri Express starts its journey from Shorkot Cant Jn. It passes

through Faisalabad and continues towards Lahore.

7:50 hrs: 108 Dn Ghauri Express reaches Lahore.

9:15 hrs: 107 Up Ghauri Express starts its journey towards Faisalabd.

11:00 hrs: 107 Up Ghauri Express reaches Faisalabad and terminates there, even

though it had originated from Shorkot Cant Jn in the morning.

15:15 hrs: The rake of Ghauri Express now becomes the Badar Express and it starts

its journey towards Lahore as 110 Down.

17:00 hrs: 110 Down Badar Express reaches Lahore.

18:00 hrs: 109 Up Badar Express starts its journey towards Faisalabd. It does not

terminate at Faisalabad eventhough it had originated there, but continues towards

Shorkot Cant Jn.

21:40 hrs: 109 Up reaches Shorkot Cant Jn. The rake rests here overnight and the next

morning the whole cycle starts again.

5. Bahauddin Zakaria Express (25 Up/26 Dn)

This train has the 92km long Karachi City - Multan Cantt route.

Multan is one of the oldest living cities in Pakistan and a home to the shrines of many

saints and learned people. Bahauddin Zakaria (1182-1266) was one such saint who

lived in Multan. Since this train has Multan as one of its termini, it is named after him.

The accomodation on this train include AC Sleeper, First Class Sleeper and Economy.

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6. Badin Express (307 Up/308 Dn)

Badin is the largest city south-east of Karachi with a population of ~70,000. Badin

Express takes the Kotri Jn - Hyderabad Jn - Badin route and is the only train that

currently goes to Badin.

The Hyderabad - Badin track on which Badin Express plies was opened on Aug 15,

1904. The line was later dismantled during World War I as the rails were needed

elsewhere. In 1922 the track was rebuilt to its present alignment. An extension of this

line across or around the Rann of Kutch, to meet the Bombay Baroda and Central

India Railway and to afford through communication without break of gauge from

Sindh (Pakistan) to Bombay (India) was considered but never materialised.

Badin Express is currently an all Economy class train.

7. Bahawalpur Express (143 Up/144 Dn)

Named after Pakistan's 13th largest city, Bahawalpur, this train has a 487km run from

Samasata Jn to Sialkot Jn. The train originates from Samasata Jn instead of

Bahawalpur, probably because of better train handling facilities at Samasata Jn.

The train route is Samasata Jn - Bahawalpur - Khanewal Jn (via Chord) - Faisalabad -

Wazirabad Jn - Sialkot Jn.

Accomodation on this train includes 1st class Sitter and Economy.

8. Baluchistan Express (31 Up/32 Dn)

This train is currently the fastest rail link between Karachi and Quetta. It takes the

Karachi - Sukkur - Quetta (850km) route and it currently takes 16 hours and 5

minutes to cover this distance.

The Karachi - Quetta distance via Sukkur is 14km shorter than via Larkana. Bolan

Mail takes the latter route.

Baluchistan is the name of Pakistan's largest province by area. Accomodation

available on Baluchistan Express includes AC Sleeper, AC Lower annd Economy.

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9. Bolan Mail (3 Up/4 Dn)

Named after the famous 'Bolan Pass' in Baluchistan province, this train is one of the

most historic trains on the PR network. It connects Karachi with Quetta via Larkana

(857Km).

Currently it is not the fastest linking between Karachi and Quetta as it takes more than

20 hours to cover this distance. The reason for its low speed is the bad track quality

between Kotri Jn and Habib Kot Jn via Dadu/Larkana Jn.

Bolan Pass itself is 60 miles (100km) long and has a maximum altitude of 5,880 ft

(1,792 m). The pass is strategically located and many traders, invaders, and nomadic

tribes coming from western and central Asia used it as a gateway to India.

Accomodation available on Bolan Mail includes AC Sleeper, First Class Sleeper and

Economy.

10. Chenab Express (11 Up/12 Dn)

The Chenab Express is named after River Chenab. Chenab is one of the five famous

rivers of the Punjab (literally, '5 waters') province. The Chenab is also associated with

the folk stories of Sohni-Mahinwal and Heer-Ranjha.

The Chenab Express, when inaugurated, had the route of Karachi - Faisalabad -

Sargodha - Attock City - Peshawar. Later the route changed to Karachi - Faisalabad -

Lala Musa - Rawalpindi - Peshawar, and these days it runs Karachi - Faisalabad -

Rawalpindi.

This train is known for other 'experiments' carried out on its route. To reduce the

burden on Karachi City and Karachi Cant stations and to utilize the fast decaying

'Karachi Circular Railway' track, Chenab express once orginated from a Karachi

suburban station, Manghopir. The empty rake of the train was brought to Manghopir

from Karachi City daily as there is no washing line or maintenance facility at

Manghopir, and then the rake was sent up-country via the KCR route.

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11. Chiltan Express (21 Up/22 Dn)

'Chiltan' is the name of one of the three large craggy mountains that surround Quetta

valley, the other two being 'Zarghun' and 'Koh-I-Murdar'. Since Chiltan Express has

Quetta as one of its termini, it is named after one of the region's prominent geological

landmarks.

This train used to have a Quetta-Lahore route via Dera Ghazi Khan and Kot Adu Jn.

This route opened in 1973, hence the Chiltan Express likely started operations on or

after that year.

Over the years the route of the Chiltan Express has been varied many times by

running it between Quetta and Peshawar via Faisalabad, between Quetta and

Rawalpindi via Lahore, and these days between Quetta and Lahore via Faisalabad.

12. Dachi Express (221 Up/222 Dn)

The word 'Dachi' in Punjabi language means 'camel'. Why this train is called a Camel

Express is not clear to me. It used to be one of the premier trains and one of the fastest

between Lahore and Faisalabad covering 142km in three hours. Since the late 1990s

the Lahore-Faisalabad distance is now being covered in about 1 hour 50 minutes by

quite a few non-stop trains and the Dachi Express has lost its importance. It is now a

slow passenger with 19 stops on its Lahore-Faisalabad route and 14 stops on its

Faisalabad-Lahore route. On the Lahore-Faisalabad Up route it is classified as an

Express and on the Faisalabad-Lahore Down route it is classified as a Passenger. This

train has been mentioned in the famous Urdu writer Ibn-e-Insha's book 'Urdu ki aakhri

kitab' ('The last book of Urdu') where while describing a camel Ibn-e-Insha says that

the camel was also called a 'Dachi' but that these days railway men have put wheels

under it and made it an express. That book was first published in 1971 which means

the Dachi Express has been running at least since 1971. I don't know its exact date of

inauguration.

13. Faisal Express (111 Up/112 Dn)

Faisal Express is one of nine daily trains that run between Lahore and Faisalabad. It is

also one of the fastest trains on this route, covering the 142km distance in 105 minutes

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in the Up direction and 110 minutes in the Down direction. Inaugurated in 2001, it is

also a relatively new train on this route.

14. Faisalabad Express (35 Up/36 Dn)

Faisalabad Express is currently the fastest train running between Karachi and

Faisalabad. It covers the 1095km distance between Karachi and Faisalabad in 15

hours 35 minutes in the Up direction and 15 hours 45 minutes in the Down sirection.

It started in the late 1990s as a non-stop train between Karachi and Faisalabad with

only operational stops at Rohri Jn and Khanewal Jn, but now it has five and seven

stops in between on the Up and Down journeys respectively. The accommodation

available on this train includes AC lower and Economy.

15. Fareed Express (37 Up/38 Dn)

Baba Freed Shakar Ganj (1173-1266 AD) was a saint who lived and preached in the

area east of Multan-Lahore axis. After his demise Baba Fareed was buried in the town

of Pakpattan. Since Fareed Express has a parallel route east of Multan-Lahore main

line and since it also serves Pakpattan city, the train has been named 'Fareed

ExpressÂ'.

Fareed Express started its operation in 1996. It has a 1248km long route between

Karachi City and Lahore via Pakpattan. From Karachi to Lodhran Jn it runs on

mainline, then diverts east on a branch line towards Vihari. It passes through towns of

Mailsi, Arif wala, Pakpattan, Kasur Jn and joins the mainline again at Raiwind Jn to

continue its journey towards Lahore. Fareed Express is presently one of the slowest

trains on the PR network covering 1248km in 23 hours and 30 minutes in the Up

direction and 23 hours and 15 minutes in the Down direction. It currently has 33 stops

between Karachi and Lahore. The accommodation available on Fareed Express

includes First Class Sitter, Economy and 2nd Class.

16. FAST (325 Up/326 Down)

The name 'FASTÂ' is probably a misnomer on this not-so-fast train. It has a 142km

Lahore-Faisalabad route with 17 stops in between and covers this distance in 3 hours

and 15 minutes in Up direction and 3 hours and 50 minutes in Down direction. For

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comparison, the Fastest train on this route presently covers this distance in 1 hour 45

minutes.

17. Islamabad Non Stop (147 Up)

Currently the fastest train on Lahore-Rawalpindi route. It covers 289km in 3 hours

and 30 minutes. It started its operation on Aug 1, 2004 covering Lahore-Rawalpindi

distance in 3 hours and 45 minutes and from Sept 8, 2004, fifteen more minutes have

been reduced from its travel time. Its rake consists of Chinese coaches.

18. Lahore Non-Stop (148 Dn)

The same rake that travels in the morning as 147 Up Islamabad Non Stop comes back

to Lahore in the evening as 148 Down Lahore Non Stop. Travel time remains same at

3 hours and 30 minutes in either direction.

19. Jaffar Express (39 Up/40 Down)

Jaffar Express is named after Mr. Jaffar Khan Jamali who was one of the prominent

Baloch leaders of the Pakistan movement. He was among the first few Baloch leaders

who whole-heartedly supported Mr. Mohammad Ali Jinnah in the Pakistan

movement. Mr. Jaffar Khan Jamali was also the uncle of ex-Prime Minister of

Pakistan, Mr. Zafarullah Khan Jamali.

Jaffar Express started its operation on May 13, 2004 (when Mr. Zafarullah Khan

Jamali was the Prime Minister of Pakistan) and it was the second train on PR network

with its full rake consisting of Chinese coaches. Here is a photo of its inaugural

DOWN run from Rawalpindi station.

Currently Jaffar Express has a 1494km route between Quetta and Rawalpindi via

Sukkur and Lahore. It covers this distance in 27 hours 20 minutes in the Up direction

and in an even 27 hours in the Down direction. It has 18 stops between Quetta and

Rawalpindi.

The rake of Jaffar Express consists of three lower AC coaches and four economy class

coaches with head end generation. Each lower AC coach has a capacity of 54 berths

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and nine seats and each economy class coach has a capacity of 51 births and nine

seats.

20. Karachi Express (15 Up/16 Down)

Karachi Express is one of the oldest and most prestigious trains on PR network. As is

obvious, it is named after Karachi, the largest city of Pakistan and also the former

capital city. Karachi Express started its operation in the late 1940s with a Karachi City

to Peshawar Cantt route. The route was later shortened to Karachi-Lahore. Over the

years it lost its earlier prestige and became a regular express train with more than 20

stops at one point in time between Karachi and Lahore. In 2000 the train regained

some of its lost glory, as it was upgraded to a 16-hour non-stop service between

Karachi and Lahore (with one technical stop at Khanpur Jn). In the year 2001-02

Hyderabad Jn, Rohri Jn and Khanewal Jn were added to its stops. Currently it has one

more stop added to its route at Sahiwal. It now covers Karachi Cant to Lahore

1214km distance in 16 hours 30 minutes in the Up direction and in 16 hours 45

minutes in the Down direction.

21. Karakoram Express (41 Up/42 Down)

Named after the lofty peaks of Karakoram Mountains, it was the first train to run on

PR network that consisted completely of Chinese-made coaches. Since Karakoram

Mountains form the common border between Pakistan and China, the train is

accordingly named to highlight the Pak-China friendship.

It is currently the fastest train running between Karachi and Lahore and covers the

1214km distance in 16 hours in either direction.

Here is a photo of the Karakoram Express seen in Lahore suburbs.

22. Khushhal Khan Khattak Express (19Up/20 Down)

This train is named after arguably the most famous poet and a famous chieftain of

North West Frontier Province (NWFP), Khushhal Khan Khattak. Khushhal Khan was

born near Peshawar in 1613. By appointment of the Mughal emperor, Shah Jehan, he

became the chieftain of the Khattak tribe in 1641, but Aurangzeb, Shah Jehan's

successor, because of some misgivings removed Khushhal Khan from his hereditary

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position, and kept him a prisoner in the Gwalior fortress in Delhi. After Khushhal was

permitted to return to Peshawar he incited the Pashtuns to rebel against the Mughals.

His grave carries the inscription: 'I have taken up the sword to defend the pride of the

Pashtun, I am Khushhal Khattak, the honorable man of the age.' Khushhal Khan

Khattak was a learned man, having scores of books or manuscripts to his credit. There

was hardly any discipline that he did not delved into. Religion, philosophy,

mysticism, lexicography, medicine, hunting and falconry, war and aesthetics -- all

came under his scrutiny. The Khattak tribe of Khushhal Khan now lives in the areas

of Kohat, Peshawar, and Mardan.

Since 19Up/20 Dn Khushhal Khan Khattak Express has a Karachi to Peshawar route,

it is named after this great poet of the NWFP.

At 19 letters, this train also has the longest name among all the trains running on PR

Network.

The accommodation available on this train includes First, Economy and Second

Classes.

Khushhal Khan Khattak Express takes a route between Karachi City and Peshawar

Cant which mostly runs on the West Bank of River Indus. It travels on mainline

between Karachi to Kotri Jn and then takes a branch line via Larkana Jn to Habibkot

Jn. From Habibkot Jn it follows mainline to Jacobabad Jn. From JacÂ¡Â¥obabad Jn it

takes another branch line route via Kashmore, Rajanpur, Dera Ghazi Khan, Kot Adu

Jn, Kundian Jn, Mianwali, Jand Jn, Basal Jn to Attock City Jn. From Attock City Jn to

Peshawar Cant it follows the mainline again.

As of summer 2004, Khushhal Khan Khattak Express has 1512km run between

Karachi City and Peshawar Cant which it covers in 36 hours 40 minutes in the Up

direction and 36 hours 45 minutes in the Down direction. It also has 59 stops between

its termini. This makes it the slowest running express between Karachi and Peshawar.

23. Khyber Mail (1 Up/2 Down)

Khyber Mail is Pakistans oldest and the most prestigious train. It is named after the

famous Khyber Pass which is located in the 'North West Frontier Province' (NWFP)

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of Pakistan. Khyber Pass has historically connected Central Asia with the Indian

Subcontinent. Today it connects Afghanistan with Pakistan. Khyber Mail's name has a

'mail' suffix because historically this train used to distribute local postal mail along its

route. From my childhood I remembera red-colored postal mail full of mail sacks

attached to the Khyber Mail. I believe that postal mail is not attached to Khyber Mail

any more but the train still keeps its name as a mail train.

Khyber Mail is also the train that has been most written about in railway literature

about Pakistan. Paul Theroux for one has traveled and written about Khyber Mail in

most of his rail travel books.

Before Independence, Khyber Mail had an ancestor, the 'Frontier Mail' which ran on

Bombay Central (India) -- Peshawar route. After 1947, on the Indian side, 'Frontier

Mail' continued its operation on a curtailed Bombay Central -- Amritsar route while

on the Pakistan side it was renamed as 'Khyber Mail' with a Karachi to Peshawar

route.

An even earlier account of a predecessor of both Frontier Mail and Khyber Mail

comes from Mr. Hal Waters' and Mr. S. Shankar's web page on NWR. It is from 1909

and calls for a 'Peshawar Mail' sighting near river Jhelum. I have not been able to

confirm whether this 'Peshawar Mail' was the same as 'Frontier Mail' or a different

train.

At present Khyber Mail has the longest running route in Pakistan, which is 1721km. It

currently shares this honor with 13Up/14Dn Awam (People) Express. Khyber Mail is

however, the fastest train link between Karachi and Peshawar.

As of summer 2004, Khyber Mail covers 1721km distance between Karachi Cant and

Peshawar Cant in 31 hours 55 minutes in the Up direction, and 32 hours 5 minutes in

the Down direction. It stops at 45 stations between Karachi Cant and Peshawar Cant.

I have a PR time table of 1959. Interestingly, forty-five years ago Khyber Mail had

only 24 stops between Karachi City and Peshawar Cant. And amazingly enough it

covered this distance with steam locomotives in 32 hours 25 minutes which is only 20

minutes slower than that of 2004. Should we conclude that not much has changed

speed wise for Khyber Mail in half-a-century? A clue to this stagnancy in rail

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modernization comes from Paul Theroux book 'The Imperial Way -- by Rail from

Peshawar to Chittagong' where while traveling by Khyber Mail he writes (pp 9-10):

I had returned (to Pakistan) to take this long trip (Peshawar-Lahore via Khyber Mail)

to see what had changed. I had noticed very few changesÂ¡K. The railway is one of

the most traditional of institutions and, for better or worse, it runs in Pakistan pretty

much the same way as it always ran. The odd thing is that throughout the Sub-

continent the railway seems so profoundly part of the culture that it hardly seems

related to the industrial age but instead seems as ancient as India itself. The roads and

airports come and go, but nothing seems as indestructible as the railway.

The accommodation on Khyber Mail has historically been the best. I do remember

that up until the early 1980s Khyber Mail had a 'buffet' Dining Car attached to it.

Dining Car is still attached to the train but it is not the buffet style anymore and food

is now served at the passenger seats. From his 1975 trip to Pakistan and while

traveling by First Class Sleeper of Khyber Mail, Paul Theroux has written in his book

'The Great Railway Bazaar' (pp 81):

It had not taken long to find my compartment (on Khyber Mail). My name was on the

door, printed large on a label! I had every thing I needed. The compartment was large,

well-lighted, and comfortable, with a toilet and sink in an adjoining room; I had a

drop-leaf table, well up-holstered seat, mirror, ashtray, chrome gin-bottle holder, the

works.

The current accommodation available on Khyber Mail includes AC Sleeper, First and

Economy Class.

24. Lala Musa Express (137 Up/138 Down)

This train is named after the city of Lala Musa which is an important junction on PR's

main line. Lala Musa Express has a 147km long route between Lala Musa Jn --

Sargodha Jn. As of summer 2004, it covered this distance in 3 hours 40 minutes in the

Up direction and in 3 hours and 30 minutes in the Down direction. It stops at 17

stations between Lala Musa and Sargodha. The only accommodation available on this

train is Economy Class. The rake of Lala Musa Express is shared by Malakwal

Express too, which is introduced below.

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25. Malakwal Express (135 Up/136 Down)

Malakwal Express is named after the city of Malakwal which was once a very

important junction and steam loco bastion in Western Punjab. Malakwal Express has

exactly the same route as of Lala Musa Express which was introduced above. Since

Malakwal Express shares its rake with Lala Musa Express so it also only one

accommodation available i.e. Economy Class. It covers its 147km long route in 3

hours 40 minutes in up direction and 3 hours 45 minutes in down direction. It has 18

stops in up direction and 16 stops in down direction between its termini at Lala Musa

Jn and Sargodha Jn.

The single rake sharing between Malakwal Express and Lala Musa Express takes

place according to the following time table:

135 Up Malakwal Express Sargodha Jn dep 0500

135 Up Malakwal Express Lala Musa Jn arr 0840

138 Dn Lala Musa Express Lala Musa Jn dep 1035

138 Dn Lala Musa Express Sargodha Jn arr 1405

137 Up Lala Musa Express Sargodha Jn dep 1515

137 Up Lala Musa Express Lala Musa Jn,arr 1855

136 Dn Malakwal Express Lala Musa Jn dep 1945

136 Dn Malakwal Express Sargodha Jn arr 2330

The rake is washed and rested at Sargodha Jn overnight.

26. Lasani Express (125 Up/126 Down)

The word 'Lasani' in Urdu language means 'one of its kind'. This 'one of its kind'

express runs between Lahore Jn and Sialkot Jn via Narowal Jn. It has a 148km route,

which it covers in 3 hours 45 minutes in both directions. It has 13 stops between

Lahore and Sialkot and the only accommodation available on this train is Economy

Class. This train provides a convenient day trip to Lahore to the business community

of Sialkot. It has an early morning run from Sialkot to Lahore and a late afternoon run

back to Sialkot.

27. Mari Indus Express (329 Up /330 Down)

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Mari Indus Express is named after the town of Mari Indus. It is also one of the oldest

branch line trains on PR Network. It has been running on Lahore -- Mari Indus route

since the 1950s. At that time it was called Mari Indus Passenger and was later

upgraded to an express. It has a 429km route in either direction with a peculiar detour.

After reaching Chak Jhumra Jn on its up journey, it instead of turning towards Mari

Indus, takes a 19km detour to Faisalabad. It has a 30-minute stop in Faisalabad before

it comes back to Chak Jhumra Jn and then continues towards Mari Indus. The same

sequence is repeated on itÂ's down journey too.

As of the summer 2004 time table, Mari Indus express covers Lahore to Mari Indus

distance in 12 hours 35 minutes in up direction and 12 hours and 30 minutes in down

direction. This time also includes its 38-km and 75-minute detour to Faisalabad.

It has 34 stops between Lahore and Mari Indus, which also includes stopping twice at

Chak Jhumra Jn in its either way journey.

Accommodation available on Mari Indus express includes Economy and 2nd Class.

28. Mehr Expess (127 Up/128 Down)

Mehr Express is named after the 'MehrÂ' clan of PakistanÂ's Seraiki belt. Since this

train has most of its route spread across Seraiki area of Pakistan, it is named after the

Seraiki speaking Mehr tribe.

Mehr Express has a 572km long route between Multan and Rawalpindi via Kot Adu

Jn, Kundian Jn and Golra Sharif Jn.

As of summer 2004, Mehr express covers this distance in 14 hours 55 minutes in the

Up direction and 14 hours 20 minutes in the Down direction. It stops at 35 stations

between Multan and Rawalpindi.

29. Musa Pak Express (115 Up/116 Down)

Musa Pak Express is named after a famous saint called Sheikh Abul Hassab Musa Pak

who is now buried in Multan City. Musa Pak express has a 335km route between

Multan Cant and Lahore. One peculiar aspect of this train is the difference in number

of stops it has in up and down direction. In up direction, it covers 335km in 280

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minutes with only 3 stops in between the termini. In down direction it covers the same

distance in 345 minutes with 13 stops.

30. Narowal Express (209 Up/210 Down)

As the name implies, Narowal Express is named after the city of Narowal. It has an

86km route between Lahore Jn and Narowal Jn. Just like Musa Pak Express, Narowal

Express also has a huge difference in its up and down travel times and number of

stops.

In the Up direction it covers its 86km route in 100 minutes with 4 stops. In the Down

direction it covers the same distance in 130 minutes with 11 stops between its termini.

31. Night Coach (105 Up/106 Dn)

Night coach is named such because of its late night timings in either direction. It is

currently the second fastest train running between Lahore and Rawalpindi. It covers

its 289km route in 260 minutes with 2 stops in up direction and in the same time with

1 stop in down direction. In comparison, the fastest trains on this route (Islamabad and

Lahore Nonstops) cover the same distance in 210 minutes.

32. Pakpattan Express (117 Up/118 Down)

This train is named after a city in Punjab province called Pakpattan and has Samasata

to Lahore route via Pakpattan. Its route length is 438km, which it covers in 11 hours

50 minutes in the Up direction and 12 hours and 20 minutes in the Down direction. It

has 40 stops between its termini, which include Bahwalpur, Lodhran Jn, Mailsi,

Vihari, Pakpattan, Kasur Jn, Raiwind Jn etc.

Accommodations available on Pakpattan Express are first class, economy and second

class.

33. Qalandar Express (165 Up/166 Down)

Qalandar Express is named after a famous saint of Sindh named Lal Shahbaz

Qalandar (1177-1274 A.D). Shahbaz Qalandar's tomb, built in 1356, is located in the

town of Sehwan Sharif. The saint was called 'Lal' because of his red attire, Shahbaz

means falcon, and denotes his free spirit and Qalandar is for the Sufi sect called

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Qalandria that he belonged to. The word 'QalandarÂ' itself means a person who

knows oneÂ's inner being or has knowledge of oneÂ's inner spirit.

Qalandar Express has Sehwan Sharif as one of its stops, and it is thus named after the

saint of Sehwan. It has a 284km route between Kotri Jn and Larkana Jn with 25 stops

in between. As of summer 2004, Qalandar Express covered this distance in 7 hours 10

minutes in the Up direction and in 8 hours and 15 minutes in the Down direction.

Some of the main towns that fall on Qalandar ExpressÂ' route include Sann, Sehwan

Sharif, Bhan Sayadabad, Dadu and Moen-jo-daro (famous for the largest excavated

ruins of the 5000-year-old Indus Valley civilization).

34. Quetta Express (23 Up/24 Down)

Quetta Express is named after the city of Quetta, which is also the provincial capital

of Baluchistan. Quetta Express is the only train on PR network, which runs through

all the four provinces of Pakistan. It has a 1631km route with 40 stops between its

termini of Quetta and Peshawar. It covers its route in 34 hours in the Up direction and

in 32 hours 20 minutes in the Down direction.

Accommodations available on Quetta Express are AC Sleeper, First and Economy.

35. Rachna Express (113 Up/114 Down)

In ancient times, the land that lies between two Punjab rivers, viz., River Ravi and

River Chenab was called Rachna Doab. The word doab literally means 'two watersÂ'.

Since this train has a route between river Ravi and river Chenab in Rachna Doab area,

it is named the Rachna Express.

Rachna Express is one of six trains that currently have a Lahore-Faisalabad route. The

route length is 142km and it covers this distance in 175 minutes in the Up direction

and in 170 minutes in the Down direction. It has 10 stops between Lahore and

Faisalabad.

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36. Ravi Express (121 Up/122 Down)

Ravi Express is named after river Ravi, which is one of the five rivers of Punjab. This

train has a Lahore to Shorkot route, which runs almost parallel to the west bank of

river Ravi.

The route length is 261km and Ravi Express covers this distance in 6 hours in the Up

direction and in 6 hours 5 minutes in the Down direction. The train has 14 stops on its

route.

Some of the important towns on Ravi ExpressÂ' route are Sheikhupura (named after

Emperor AkbarÂ's son Sheikho), Warburton, Nankana Sahab (a holy city for the Sikh

religion), Jaranwala, Tandlianwala, and Kamalia.

Accommodations available on Ravi Express are Economy and Second.

37. Rohi Express (131 Up/132 Down)

The word 'RohiÂ' means 'desertÂ' in Seraiki language. The Seraiki belt of Pakistan is

famous for two deserts, viz., 'Thal' and 'Cholistan' deserts. Because of extensive

irrigation schemes over the years, the Thal desert is now mostly an agriculture land.

The Cholistan desert however, still extends from east of Bahawalpur to the Indian

border.

Since Rohi express has 'Khanpur JnÂ', as one of its terminus and since Khanpur lies

in the heart of Seraiki speaking area, therefore the train is named as 'RohiÂ' or

'DesertÂ' express.

Rohi Express has Khanpur to Rawalpindi route via Shorkot, Jhang, Sargodha and Lala

Musa.

The length of Rohi ExpressÂ' route is 774km. It covers this distance in 17 hours 50

minutes with 38 stops between its termini.

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38. Rohri Express (167 Up/168 Down)

Rohri express is named after the city of Rohri. It has a 218km route between Sukkur

and Khanpur via Rohri Jn. It covers this distance in 4 hours in the Up direction and 4

hours 5 minutes in the Down direction. It has 10 stops between its termini.

39. Sandal Express (139 Up/140 Down)

Sandal Express is named after the 'SandalÂ' clan, which has most of its people living

in the Seraiki speaking area in and around Multan. Since this train has Multan to

Sargodha route, it is named after the local Sandal clan of Multan. Sandal Express runs

on its route via Khanewal, Shorkot and Jhang. The route length is 279km, which it

covers in 6 hours 35 minutes in the Up direction and in 6 hours 25 minutes in the

Down direction. It has 21 stops between its termini.

40. Sargodha Express (123 Up/124 Down)

Sargodha Express is named after the city of Sargodha. It runs from Lahore to

Sargodha. The route length is 215km, which it covers in 4 hours 15 minutes in the Up

direction and in 4 hours 10 minutes in the Down direction. It has 15 stops between its

termini.

41. Shah Latif Express (151 Up/152 Down)

Shah Latif Express is named after Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai who is considered as the

greatest poet of Sindhi language. Shah Abdul Latif lived in Sindh during the

seventeenth century. Shah's poetry is unique as it expresses the harmony between

what he saw outside with his naked eyes and what he observed within by his inner

eyes.

Shah Latif Express runs between Karachi city and Mirpur Khas. It has a 246km long

route, which it covers in 4 hours 55 minutes in the Up direction and in 4 hours 40

minutes in the Down direction. It has 11 stops between Karachi City and Mirpur

Khas.

Accommodation available on Shah Latif Express is Economy and Second class.

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42. Shah Rukne Alam Express (29 Up/30 Down)

Shah Rukn-e-Alam express is named after a saint who lived in Multan. SaintÂ's real

name was Sheikh Rukn-ud-Din Abul Fateh, but he was commonly knows as Rukn-e-

Alam. The word Rukn-e-Alam means 'Pillar of the WorldÂ'. His shrine in Multan is

one of the landmarks of Multan City and has won quite a few architectural awards

too.

Shah Rukn-e-Alam Express is a day train between Karachi and Multan. The train has

a 921km long route, which it covers in 14 hours 45 minutes in the Up direction and in

14 hours 55 minutes in the Down direction. It has 18 stops between Karachi Cantt and

Multan Cantt.

The accommodation available on Shah Rukn-e-Alam Express is AC Parlor, AC

Lower and Economy Class.

43. Shahbaz Passenger (309 Up/310 Down)

Shahbaz Passenger is named after a famous saint of Sindh named 'Lal Shahbaz

QalandarÂ' (1177-1274 A.D). Shahbaz Qalandar's tomb, built in 1356, is located in

the town of Sehwan Sharif. The saint was called 'Lal' because of his red attire, the

word Shahbaz means falcon, which is a bird native to Sindh and denotes his free spirit

and Qalandar is for the Sufi sect called Qalandria that he belonged to. There is another

train called 'Qalandar ExpressÂ' named after Lal Shahbaz Qalandar.

Shahbaz Passenger has a 380km route between Kotri Jn and Rohri Jn via Sehwan

Sharif (resting place of Lal Shabaz Qalandar), Dadu, Larkana Jn and Sukkur. As of

summer 2004, Shahbaz Passenger covered its route in 12 hours 30 minutes with 39

stops between its termini.

Accommodation available on Shahbaz Passenger includes Economy and Second

class.

44. Shalimar Express (27 Up/28 Down)

Shalimar Express is named after the famous Shalimar gardens located in

Baghbanpura, Lahore. Shalimar gardens were laid out during the time of Mughal

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Emperor Shah Jahan in 1642 for the pleasure of Royal household. Shalimar gardens

conform to the classic Mughal conception of a perfect garden and consist of three

terraces of straight, shaded walk sets around a perfectly symmetrical arrangement of

ponds, waterfalls, marble pavilions, all surrounded by flower beds and fruit trees and

enclosed within a wall and more than 400 fountains.

Shalimar Express was inaugurated in 1979 as the fastest train on PR network. At the

time of its inauguration, it covered Karachi-Lahore distance in 16 hours. It started as a

day-train with 6 a.m. departure and 10 p.m. arrival in either direction. Two locos used

to pull it and it was an all AC-parlor train. It had only two technical stops of 20

minutes duration at Rohri Jn and Khanewal Jn all during its 1210km route. Later on

economy class was added to it and its stoppages got increased. At one point its

timings got changed to an overnight train and Multan was added to its stops. Earlier it

used to bypass Multan. These days it is back as a day train between Karachi and

Lahore and runs via chord bypassing Multan again.

It is not the fastest train on Karachi-Lahore route anymore. Its current route length is

1210km, which it covers in 17 hours 15 minutes with 10 stops between its termini.

45. Subuk Khram Express (103 Up/104 Down)

The word 'subuk khramÂ' means 'a person (or a train in our case) with a fast and

delicate style of walkingÂ'. Subuk Khram express was traditionally a rail car. As the

rail car units grew older and number of coaches in the train started increasing, Subuk

khram was converted to an express with a separate diesel loco pulling the rake.

Subuk Khram Express has a 289km route between Lahore and Rawalpindi and as of

summer 2004, it covers this distance in 4 hours 30 minutes with 5 stops between its

termini.

Accommodation available on Subuk Khram express includes AC Parlor and

Economy.

46. Subuk Raftar Express (101 Up/102 Down)

The word 'subuk raftarÂ' means 'a person (or a train in our case) which runs with a

fast and speedÂ'. Just like Subuk khram Express, which was introduced above, Subuk

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Raftar express was also a rail car. Both of these rail cars were introduced on Lahore-

Rawalpindi route as a morning and an evening service. As the rail car units grew older

and the number of coaches in the train started increasing, Subuk Raftar was converted

to an express with a separate diesel loco pulling the rake.

Subuk Khram Express has a 289km route between Lahore and Rawalpindi and as of

summer 2004, it covers this distance in 4 hours 30 minutes with 6 stops between its

termini in the Up direction and in 4 hours 35 minutes with 5 stops in the Down

direction.

Accommodation available on Subuk Khram express includes AC Parlor, AC lower

and Economy.

47. Sukkur Express (145 Up/146 Down)

Sukkur Express is named after the city of Sukkur. When first started, it used to have

an overnight run between Karachi and Sukkur. It still has an overnight run, but

extended to Jacobabad Jn.

Its current route length is 555km, which it covers in 11 hours 5 minutes in the Up

direction and in 11 hours 10 minutes in the Down direction. It has 18 stops between

Karachi Cant and Jacobabad Jn including a 30 minutes stop at Sukkur.

Accommodation available on Sukkur Express includes AC Sleeper, First Class and

Economy.

48. Super Express (33 Up/34 Down)

This train was inaugurated as the fastest train link between Karachi and Lahore in the

70s. Hence the name 'SuperÂ' express. However, in 1979 the title of fastest train was

taken over by Shalimar Express and super express became just another train.

Super Express has a unique history of rake splitting too. After its inauguration as a

Karachi-Lahore train, public demand soon grew for a fast train link between Karachi

and Faisalabad also. Extra coaches were added to Super Express and on its up

journey, the rake used to split at Khanewal Jn with some coaches continuing on to

Lahore while the rest went to Sargodha Jn via Faisalabad. On its down journey both

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rakes used to meet at Khanewal Jn and coupled together for journey towards Karachi.

This arrangement of rake splitting worked fine for up journey but not so efficiently for

the down journey. On down journey the rake from Sargodha Jn had to travel 277km

and the rake from Lahore had to travel 286km before they colud be coupled together

at Khanewal Jn. Both of these routes were on single track and many a times the split

rakes got late while their other halves had to wait a long time at Khanewal Jn.

Sometimes one of the rakes got so late that they were sent to Karachi as two separate

trains.

As the number of trains running between Karachi and Lahore grew, Super Express

was changed to a total Karachi-Sargodha Jn train with no rake splitting. It continues

as such to date, but it has lost its prestige and fame as a really fast super express. It

now has 34 stoppages between its termini.

Super Express currently has a 1256km route between Karachi and Sargodha via

Faisalabad. As of summer 2004, it covered this distance in 22 hours 25 minutes in the

Up direction and in 22 hours 50 minutes in the Down direction

Accommodation available on Super Express includes First Class and Economy.

49. Tezgam (7 Up/8 Down)

The word 'TezgamÂ' means a 'fast runnerÂ'. Tezgam was inaugurated in 1950s as a

Karachi-Peshawar train. Later its route was reduced to Karachi-Rawalpindi. Just like

Khyber Mail and Karachi Express, Tezgam is also one of the earliest and more

prestigious of the trains on PR network.

Since its inception, it always has been the fastest train link between Karachi and

Rawalpindi. TezgamÂ's route length is 1542km, which it covers in 25 hours and 5

minutes in the Up direction and in 25 hours 55 minutes in the Down direction.

Tezgam currently has 26 stops between its termini.

Accommodation available on Tezgam includes AC Sleeper, AC lower, First Class and

Economy.

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50. Tezrau (5 Up/6 Down)

The word 'TezrauÂ' means 'fast waveÂ'. It started as a Karachi-Lahore-Peshawar train

but over the years its route and its name has been experimented a lot. At one point in

PakistanÂ's political history, TezrauÂ's name got changed to 'Zulfiqar ExpressÂ'

named after Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto who was an ex Prime Minister of Pakistan. Its route

between Kotri and Rohri was also changed from Mainline to a branch via Larkana Jn.

Larkana was the home city of Zulhiqar Ali Bhutto. Later on when railway was trying

to make best use Karachi Circular RailwayÂ's dilapidating infrastructure, TezrauÂ's

terminal was moved to Gilani station. After that at some point in time, TezrauÂ's

route was made Karachi to Havelian. These days Tezrau is running between Drigh

Road Jn and Rawalpindi.

Its current route length is 1489km which it covers in 29 hours 20 minutes in the Up

direction and in 28 hours 55 minutes in the Down direction. It has 51 stops between

its termini.

Accommodation available on Tezrau includes First Class and Economy.

51. Thal Express (129 Up/130 Down)

Thal Express is named after the plains and desert of Thal, which extends west of

Multan deep into South-West Punjab. Since this trainÂ's route is through Thal it is

named after it.

Thal express has a 595km route between Multan and Rawalpindi via Kundian and

Attock. It has similar route as Mehr Express except from Basal Jn, Thal Express

detours to Attock and then comes back to Rawalpindi via mainline. It has 39 stops

between its termini.

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FINANCIAL CONDITION OF PAKISTAN RAILWAYS.

Railway Pakistan owns a total of 167,690 acres and its estimated value as per a study

carried out by financial experts during 2002-2003 is Rs246 billion.

Pakistan Railways debt piles up to Rs56bn

Pakistan Railways is continuously facing economic losses despite the injection of

subsidy worth billions of rupees to make it a profitable public sector organization over

the last two years. The National Assembly was told on Thursday that during 2007-

2008 it suffered a loss of Rs12.66 billion which increased to Rs18.609 billion in 2008-

2009.

According to figures placed before the lower house of the parliament, the government

had provided a subsidy of Rs7.30 billion to Pakistan Railways in 2007-2008 and

Rs9.034 billion during 2008-2009. However, losses showed the subsidy had little

impact on the overall performance of its operations. In response to a question, Federal

Minister for Railways Haji Ghulam Bilour informed that there were multiple reasons

of the loss.

A parliamentarian from opposition benches suggested that instead of giving railway

land on lease to powerful people, it should be sold in the open market to make it a

profitable organization. At present, PR owns a total of 167,690 acres and its estimated

value as per a study carried out by financial experts during 2002-2003 is Rs246

billion.

A fresh study for updating valuation of railway’s assets is currently in progress, the

minister said.During 2007-2008, the minister for railways said, 15 per cent increase in

pay and pension of federal government employees, phenomenal increase in oil prices

were the main reasons behind PR’s losses. Moreover, on the eve tragic death of

Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, railway’s assets suffered a massive loss of Rs6.5

billion.

The incident also caused a loss of Rs0.994 million due to suspension of train services.

It also faced a shortfall of revenue of Rs9.017 billion. Similarly, during 2008-2009 the

organisation had to face a shortfall in it revenue of Rs6.439 billion. Likewise, the

government increased pay, allowances and pensions up to 20 per cent which the PR

had to pay from its kitty.

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http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/12-pakistan+railways+debt+piles+up+to+rs56bn--bi-07


14.4bn fraud in Pakistan Railways accounts: AGP report

Railways unable to retrieve land worth Rs 5,110m from CDA WAPDA has erected

pylons on 87,288 square feet in Larkana

The Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) has pointed out irregularities worth Rs.14.418

billion in the account of Pakistan Railways (PR) during the financial year 2008-09.

The AGP pointed out these irregularities in an audit report for the financial year 2007-

08. The report revealed that the total expenditure of PR during 2007-08 was Rs

43.687 billion against earnings Rs 19.972 billion.

A recoverable sum of Rs 3.482 billion was also pointed out in the report. The report

further revealed that recoveries of Rs 702,705 million were made during 2008-09.

The report said the non-recovery of rental charges worth Rs 2.189 billion were

outstanding on account of railway land being leased out.

Retrieve: The report said further, “The Pakistan Railways cannot retrieve a piece of

land worth Rs 5,110 million from the Capital Development Authority (CDA).”

Occupy: The report said that the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA)

has occupied 87,288 square feet the railway land in Larkana by erecting electric poles.

The rental charges, amounting to Rs 78.559 million, have yet to be recovered.

“The NWFP government has acquired a piece of land in Bannu for establishing a

university, but the Pakistan Railways has not retrieved the released material, resulting

in a Rs 2.800 million loss,” the report revealed.

The audit report exposes that the PR sustained a loss of Rs 155.324 million due to

excessive consumption of fuel by its locomotives.

“Labour of signal shops Lahore cannot be utilised due to shortage of material

rendering expenditure of Rs 109.500 million incurred on their wages as wasteful,” the

report points out.

.

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PRESENT SITUATION OF PAKISTAN RAILWAYS AND ITS ASSETS.

It is now almost certain that the earlier plan to privatize Railways has been shelved by

the Military government which instead wants to revamp the system, rid it from

rampant corruption and control its losses. The federal government has reportedly

approved a rehabilitation plan to be launched under the control and supervision of the

Army.

One of the important policy decisions taken at the joint meeting of the National

Security Council and the Federal Cabinet, presided over by the Chief Executive,

General Pervez Musharraf, last week related to the revival of the defunct Railway

Board and its merger with the Ministry of Railways, which is now headed by a new

secretary, who is a retired Lieutenant General of the Army, who will simultaneously

hold charges as Chairman of the Railway Board. This decision seemingly marked a

reversal in the process of privatisation of Pakistan Railways which was initiated by

the previous government back in 1998 when on August 30, the 137-year old Pakistan

Railways was divided into three separate and independent units, each to be headed by

a Managing Director. The three units were described as the Infrastructure Unit,

Freight, Service Unit and Passenger Service unit, which have been operating

independently over the last one year and reports indicated that the Freight Unit had

registered some increase in its profit earnings during this period through better

utilization of the available number of wagons. Thus the entire process aimed at

privatization of the railways has come to a halt as a result of the latest cabinet

decision, indicating that the present government is giving preference to retention of

Pakistan Railways as a single entity in the public sector and that new efforts would be

directed towards the goal of making Pakistan Railways a viable and profit earning

concern.

Lt.Gen. Javed Ashraf Qazi, new Secretary of Railway Ministry and Chairman

Railway Board, while briefing the newsmen said that the objective of the Plan which

has been dully approved by the National Security and the Federal Cabinet at a joint

meeting held for this purpose include restructuring of railways emergency repair

measures, rehabilitation and modernization steps and reduction of debt burden on the

department. Lieutenant General Qazi regretted that PR hasan overdraft of Rs. 19

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billion for which the department is paying Rs. 3 billion interest annually. While the

operational deficit is Rs. 2.6 billion every year. As such, the total annual deficit

stands at Rs. 9 billion.

He said that with the approval of the federal cabinet, the Ministry of Railways has

constituted a committee to work out a strategy to deal with the surplus staff. Till then,

General Qazi said, no retrenchment would be made in the Pakistan Railways.

At present, non technical staff—including clerks, workers and peons—are in surplus,

while the technical staff is insufficient. "We have chalked out a plan to train the non

technical staff and accommodate them in technical sections to overcome the

deficiency there. The three-month training programme would soon start in Lahore.

The railway department has been divided into two units—operations and technical.

These units will be headed by general managers. One will run the mail operation

while the other will look into the task of manufacturing and services. The task of the

general managers would be to work for the rehabilitation of the department and earn

money to revive its economic position.

It may be recalled that Pakistan Railways has been invariably reporting losses in its

operations during the last 52 years despite repeated efforts on the part of the various

governments in the past to inject dynamism, both administratively and financially, in

its working, but all such efforts seemingly failed to produce the desired results. The

organization which is purely commercial in its functions has failed to bridge the gap

in its expenditure and income. In fact, the gap has been widening without any sign of

a change for the better. As a result, the federal government as the owner of the

railways, has to meet the large deficits from its meager financial resources. Instead of

fixing the dismal affairs in Pakistan Railways, the Zia-ul-Haq government had opted

for a quick fix by launching the National Logistic Cell through the Army resources,

instead of restructuring and downsizing the overstaffed monopoly.

It was due to the inefficiency in its working and constant deficit in its balance sheet

that the railways lost a substantial share in the freight and passenger movement

market of the country over the last five decades and consequently the privately owned

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bus services and trucking companies have been rapidly gaining ground in the

transport system.

As things stand, public confidence in the railways is at an all-time low. The Pakistan

Railways suffered a loss of over Rs. 6 billion in 1997-98 as compared to Rs. 1.8

billion in 1990-91. The spiralling losses are due to a number of factors, the principal

one being a progressive decline in the operational efficiency and reliability of its

passenger and freight services, to say nothing of convenience and comfort of travel.

As a result, there has been a sharp fall in passenger tarffic and freight transported over

the years and a rise in expenditures at the same time. The railways have been

neglected by successive governments which preferred to invest in road and air

transport instead. This neglect has had very far-reaching consequences. The travails of

train travellers are endless. From hassles in getting tickets, to the deplorable condition

of trains and the absence of any mechanism to check and rectify the many

malpractices, irregularities and deficiencies that afflict the whole of spectrum of train

travel.

As the army takes stock of the situation, a good idea would be to set up a committee

comprising experts from the field of railways to come up with a set of

recommendations of both short-and long-term nature so that the process of

revitalizing the railways can be started on a sound footing and in right earnest. Under

the ongoing restructuring process, the railways has already shut down over 200 train

routes out of a total of 324 and intends to sack 30,000 employees. To carry this

process through to its logical end calls for an unbending will, patience and

perseverance. The turnaround in the railways is imperative as this organization should

serve as the pivot of the national transport system and an arterial channel of economic

activity in the country. And it will got to the credit of the army if it is able to restore

the railways to its pristine position so that it plays its crucial role in the composite

sector of communications and economic activity

Karachi—Federal Minister for Pakistan Railways (PR) Ghulam Ahmed Bilour

Sunday said Pakistan Railways was passing through a financial crunch and even

unable to pay salaries to the army of employees.

Talking to media persons here on Sunday, Bilour said that like others departments

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Pakistan Railways was also passing through era of hardships however despite these

harsh facts all efforts were made to broaden the Railways network.

He said that during past eras Pakistan Railways were adversely neglected which led to

present situation however incumbent government was not disappointed and was

chalking out long termed strategies which would not only mend the past discrepancies

but would also develop the PR and it would be proved a beneficial department soon.

The Minister said that a request has been made to friend country China for

cooperation in development of Railways which has been accepted and a positive

response was hoped. In cooperation with China a dual track Railway track would be

laid between Khanjab-Islamabad and Karachi-Tourkham which would not only help

in easing the traveling between these areas but would also open new avenues of

development in trade and tourism.

He said that though lack of funds was creating hurdles in the way of development of

Railways but China and other countries would be consulted to resolve this problem.

Bilour claimed that railway departments across the globe except India Railways were

going in loss.

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INITIAL INVESTMENT.

Name of Divisional of Pakistan Railways with number of Station: In 1980 under the

Companies Act 1913, with an initial investment of Rs. 0.5 million

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MARKET ANALYSIS

WHATIS MARKETING?

Definition

Definition is that marketing is:

A social and managerial process by which individuals and groups obtain what they

want and need through creating, offering, and exchanging products of value with

The “Marketing Mix”, or the Seven P’s

There is still a popular misconception that the term “marketing” is interchangeable

with “sales” and “advertising”. That is only partly true. In fact, marketing includes the

full range of activities needed to achieve voluntary and profitable exchanges of

products or services between two parties. These activities are aimed at changing one

or more of four variables known as the Marketing Mix, with the intention of

improving the organization’s profitability. These variables, also known as the Seven

P’s, are Product, Price, Promotion, Place, People, Processes and Physical Evidence. It

is useful to describe each of these variables in terms of their meaning in a railway

marketing environment.

Product

For railways, this is the service offered to customers, both existing and prospective.

However, the term also implies some notion of the attributes of a service - its basic

design, or its essential features; its presentation, or how it is packaged; its associated

support level (which is usually related to the capacity of the organization to deliver an

acceptable standard of support for the product, or service); and its branding, or its

association with a particular image or identity. The core products of railway

organizations are transportation services, but increasingly railway organizations are

diversifying their activities in fields which are not wholly related to their core

business, such as commercial property, or real estate, development. The product

descriptions covered here are, however, related to the core business of railways, since

it is these core businesses which in the past have suffered most from the absence of

systematic marketing techniques and which in the future stand to benefit most from

their application. For a railway passenger service, the design and presentation

characteristics of the product are generally: the route covered; the service frequency;

the achieved transit time (or interval between departure and arrival); the carriage

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seating standard and configuration; the decor, cleanliness and riding comfort of the

rolling stock; the nature and standard of meals provided enroute; the comfort,

cleanliness and convenience of station or terminal facilities; and the convenience of

connections with other rail services or with other transport modes. For a railway

freight service, the design and presentation characteristics of the product are

generally: the route covered; the service frequency; the operational reliability of the

service (e.g. adherence to scheduled transit time, etc); the security provided for

consignments (e.g. against pilferage and damage); the convenience and efficiency of

loading/unloading facilities at rail freight terminals; and the availability of a

convenient delivery service to the final destination (i.e. door-door delivery service).

Price

This denotes the published or negotiated value of the exchange transaction for a

product or service. It should be noted that price must represent value to both parties -

to the producer or service provider in terms of the profit margin yielded and to

customers in terms of the value for money derived from consumption of the

commodity or service. For a railway passenger service, the price of the service, or the

fare, paid by passengers is usually graduated by distance - the longer the distance

traveled, the lower the charge per kilometre - although often the charges are

broadbanded within intervals of distance, e.g. one charge for 0-30 km; another (lesser)

charge for 31-70 km, and so on. In addition, fare rates usually vary with the standard

of service used - for example, a first class seat might cost more than double a third

class seat, while a deluxe sleeping berth might cost fifty per cent more than a deluxe

seat, etc. In some cases, governments control the maximum level of fares charged for

different categories of service, while railway organizations have the ability to discount

fares below these maxima, in order to generate more business or to modify demand in

some way, e.g. by transferring demand from heavy to light traffic periods. Discounts

may be provided for: ticket bulk purchases (e.g. weekly, monthly, yearly tickets); off-

peak travel (time of day or seasonal); group travel and tours; student/old age

pensioner/other pensioner travel. In a small number of cases, railway organizations

have the ability both to adjust the maximum level of passenger fares and to offer

discounts off these fares. For a railway freight service, the price or tariff to be paid by

customers for the transport of their consignments is usually expressed as a rate per

tonne-km, although freight tariffs can also include charges for other services rendered

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by the railway, such as the loading/unloading of freight consignments, in which case

the charging unit will be different, e.g. tones loaded or unloaded. In common with

passenger charges, unit freight rates usually decline with the increase of distance, but

as in the case of passenger charges may also be broad banded within distance

intervals. Unlike passenger tariffs, which are almost without exception published

charges, freight charges may be either published or negotiated rates. If they are

published rates, they will generally appear in the railway organization’s standard

schedule of charges, and will be available to all customers. If they are the result of a

process of commercial negotiations between the railway organization and individual

customers, or groups of customers, they will generally be incorporated in long term

haulage contracts between the two parties, and will not generally be disclosed to other

parties. By definition, negotiated rates will be available only to the contracting

customers, subject to their agreeing to meet certain other contractual conditions.

Freight tariffs are less likely to be subject to control by government than passenger

tariffs, yet government imposed ceilings on published freight tariffs are not

uncommon throughout the region. In most cases, railway organizations have the

ability to offer discounts off the level of freight tariffs in order to expand business,

and in a majority of cases they also have the ability to increase the level of freight

tariffs in order to recover cost increases.

Promotion

This is the result of all activities aimed at enhancing customer awareness of, and

stimulating demand for, products or services. Typically, these activities include:

advertising in all of its forms (point-of-sale, direct mailing, print media and broadcast

media); sales force representation; and PR (public relations).

In the context of railway marketing, promotional techniques are becoming more

widely used for passenger business, but are as yet relatively little used in the case of

freight business. Of the different forms of promotion, sales representation has been

the most widely used in railway business. However, railway sales forces have mainly

had a passive or reactive, rather than a proactive, role, servicing existing customers

rather than seeking out and securing new customers, order taking rather than order

generating. Furthermore, these sales forces have not been organized in a way which

would assist them to actively promote railway services and secure new business. Only

a relatively few railway organizations have encouraged market segment specialization

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by their sales personnel, with the result that most railway sales forces have not been

able to develop the specialized knowledge of individual market segments needed to be

able to effectively sell railway services to these segments. The lack of specialization is

particularly evident in passenger marketing cells, where all too often sales force

activity has no specific focus of any sort. Indeed in many railway systems of the

region, there is no passenger sales force at all and selling activity is confined to

ticketing or reservations offices, which in reality have an “order taking” function.

There is now clearly an urgent need to focus railway sales force activity on individual

market segments and at the same time to ensure that this activity is fully co-

coordinated with other forms of promotional activity, such as advertising. The

reticence of railway managements in the recent past to commit to the development of

co-ordinate promotional campaigns for their core transportation business is partly

explained by budget limitations and some degree of skepticism that promotion can be

effective in increasing the volume of this business. Increasing competition

(particularly from road passenger and freight transport operators), will however

dictate a change in this attitude. Railway managements can be expected in future to

allocate an increasing proportion of their operating budgets to promotion. At the same

time, they can be expected to employ more sophisticated techniques (such as on-board

passenger sample surveys) to measure the effectiveness and reach of their

promotional campaigns, in order to maximize the value of future campaigns.

Place

“Place” means not just the locations of producer facilities, but the locations of all

points of sale at which customers may have access to the product or service. In the

case of railways, these will include not only passenger stations and freight terminals,

but corporate/regional/divisional headquarters, centralized railway reservations

offices, hotels, travel agents, and freight forwarders’ offices and terminals. In the

wider sense, “place” will mean channels of distribution for the product. Outside of the

railway organization itself, the most effective channels of distribution for the railway

“product” are likely to be travel agents in the case of rail passenger services and

freight forwarders, in the case of rail freight services. The main advantage of using

external channels of distribution is that business volume can be maximized through a

relatively small number of direct customers, who act as wholesalers, on-selling space

on trains to a much larger group of final consumers, accepting the credit and business

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risk and arranging storage and feeder transport (to/from railheads), where required.

By directing a greater proportion of their business through such “wholesalers”,

railway managements can often achieve significant reductions in their operating costs,

with commensurate improvements in the overall corporate financial result.

People

It almost goes without saying that people are a railway organization’s most important

resource. So it is that a railway’s people resources will be vitally important to the

realization of its marketing goals. It will not matter how advanced and sophisticated

are a railway organization’s management systems if the railway’s existing and

potential customers do not feel that railway staff are listening and responding to their

needs. What is required, therefore, is total customer awareness from the very top to

the lowest levels of staff in the railway organization. Inevitably, this in turn will

require that a customer awareness culture be instilled throughout the railway

organization by its senior management, who in most cases must first make the mental

transition themselves, or be prepared to be swept aside by personnel who already

have.

Processes

Railway processes, especially operational processes, have evolved over the 170- year

history of the development of the railway as a common transport mode. In many

instances these processes have changed in response to the development of competing

transport modes, especially road transport. An example of change spurred on by the

increasing availability of door to door services provided by road transport has been

the demise of the collection and re-marshalling of casual wagons from private sidings

and its replacement by the operation of block trains between inter modal terminals.

What is important is that the processes must be compatible with serving the needs of

railway customers. If a customer requires regular and frequent dispatch of his loading

on scheduled fast freight trains, then a railway’s policy of operating infrequent, slower

and longer trains will obviously be incompatible with these needs and the railway

must be prepared to change its process accordingly. The process in effect is an

integral part of the railway’s delivery of its product (i.e. service) and will have a

crucial role in determining whether in the end the product will satisfy customers.

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Physical Evidence

Physical Evidence refers to the physical evidence available to customers in the layout

and presentation of railway facilities that their needs are actually being met. The

design, layout and signage of passenger stations, for example, must be such as to

convey the impression to travelers that the railway really wants their business. This it

will do by ensuring that platforms, concourses, ticket/reservations offices, waiting

rooms, toilets, baggage lockers, bus interchange and transfer facilities, etc, will be

comfortable and convenient for all categories of travellers to use. These facilities also

have a critical influence on customer acceptance of the railway product.

An Overview of the Marketing Management Process in a Railway

Environment

Marketing seeks to improve corporate profitability by modifying the Marketing Mix,

consisting of the four variables, the Seven P’s, just described, in order to satisfy

customer wants and needs. Clearly, units of the organization other than the Marketing

or Commercial department will also have an important “Marketing” role. In the case

of railways, those departments with a primary role in service delivery - mainly the

Operations, Mechanical Engineering and Civil Engineering Departments - can

crucially affect the quality and other characteristics of the Seven P’s, and hence will

have an important influence on the marketability of the railway product. However, it

is the Marketing or Commercial Department which must take primary responsibility

for translating the needs of customers into service requirements which it must then

communicate to the service providers, and for ensuring that the delivery of services

satisfies customer needs.

The main factors influencing the process of Marketing Management in any

commercial organization. The single most important factor is the wants and needs of

the organization’s target customers, and hence these are shown at the epicenter of the

diagram. The wants and needs of the target customers determine the specifications of

the marketing mix, which is embodied in the Marketing Management System

(comprising systems of Marketing Planning, Organization/Implementation and

Control), as illustrated in the third innermost ring of the diagram. However,

Marketing

Management in developing a strategy to satisfy the needs of its target market must

also adapt to a microenvironment, as shown at the corners of the rectangle in the

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diagram, consisting of marketing intermediaries (or distribution channels), suppliers,

competitors and publics (including stakeholders2). It must further adapt to a macro

environment, shown at the outer extremities of the diagram, consisting of

demographic and economic forces, political and legal forces, technological/physical

forces, and social and cultural forces. Thus, Marketing Management must take into

account all of the actors and forces in the marketing environment in developing its

strategy to serve the target market. This applies as much in the case of a large global

corporation as it does in the case of a small domestic business, and within this range

certainly applies to railway organizations.

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SWOT ANALYSIS AND PEST ANALYSIS OF PAKISTAN RAILWAY

What is SWOT Analysis?

SWOT Analysis is a strategic planning tool used to evaluate the Strengths,

Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats involved in a project or in a business venture.

It involves specifying the objective of the business venture or project and identifying

the internal and external factors that are favorable and unfavorable to achieving that

objective

We Can Also Write The SWOT as:

Strengths - Think about what your company does well. What makes you stand out

from your competitors? What advantages do you have over other businesses?

Weaknesses - List the areas that are a struggle. What do your customers complain

about? What are the unmet needs of your sales force?

Opportunities - Try to uncover areas where your strengths are not being fully

utilized. Are there emerging trends that fit with your company's strengths? Is there a

product/service area that you could do well in but are not yet competing?

Threats - Look both inside and outside of your company for things that could damage

your business. Internally, do you have financial, development, or other problems?

Externally, are your competitors becoming stronger, are there emerging trends that

amplify one of your weaknesses, or do you see other threats to your company's

success?

SWOT Analysis of Pakistan Railway

Introduction

Based on the success of the Japanese Railways model, Pakistan Railways (PR) is

currently following a similar strategy of converting its non productive assets into

revenue generating and land mark projects. For this purpose PR established the

Directorate of Marketing which works directly under the guidance of the Ministry of

Railways to launch new business ventures using surplus Railways assets coupled with

capital investment fully provided by the private sector.

The objectives of this Directorate are, through public-private participation, to

conceive, plan, finance and manage commercial projects which shall generate

additional revenue so as to help pay off pay PR’s long out standing over draft with the

State Bank as well as to fund developments and upgrading of core operations. The

Directorate aims at removing the need for Federal financial by being the first public

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sector organization to be financially viable and profitable in the long run.

Strength

Introduction of New Trains

Pakistan Railways introduced new long lead mail & express trains between major

terminal of Pakistan Railways during 2003-2004 and 2004-2005.

Sialkot Express between Rawalpindi – Sialkot

Badar Express between Lahore - Faisalabad-Shorkot

Summer Vacation Special between Lahore – Karachi

Winter Vacation Special between Lahore – Quetta

Jaffar Express between Rawalpindi – Quetta

Islamabad Express between Lahore – Rawalpindi

Millat Express between Faisalabad – Karachi

Pakistan Railways connected Kasur, Pakpattan, Lodhran with Karachi by Fareed

Express train.

Havelian connected with Karachi via Rawalpindi, Sargodha, Faisalabad.

Kohat connected with Karachi by Awam Express.

Pakistan Railways has introduced non-stop Islamabad Express between Lahore –

Rawalpindi and Millat Express Train between Faisalabd - Karachi with Modern

Chinese Passenger Coaches. The journey time has been reduced to 3hrs & 30 minuets

between Lahore - Rawalpindi and 13hrs 30 minutes between Faisalabad Karachi.

What we have done so far. Mafias eliminated in Purchases. Theft and pilferage

brought down to bare minimum. Outhouses of Railway Bungalows allotted to

employees resulting in saving of House Rent of such employees. Railway Housing

Societies dissociated from Railway thereby reducing the Electricity and Gas

expenditure. Privatization of Rawalpindi and Karachi Hospitals. 20,000 ghost

pensioners eliminated. Illegal Electricity connections and misuse of Air-conditioners

eliminated. All Railways Schools handed over to Beacon house. Karachi and

Rawalpindi Railway Hospital Privatized. Fuel consumption reduced on locomotives

through better management. Reliable batteries have been provided on locomotives so

that these can be shut down on freight trains when these are held up for coming

passenger trains. Strength of total Railway employees reduced from 1,35,000 to

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96,000. 103 Telephone connection eliminated. Eliminated theft of electricity from

Railway installations and colonies.

Weakness

Pakistan Railway has no Comport at all. People feel very difficulty while they are

using Pakistan railway service but they get very tied due to uncomfortable seats. It

consume more time of their customers. The people cannot reach their destination on

time. So it is the wastage of time. Train is always overloaded with the bundle of

people and Customer feel very difficult to take their seats. With the rush of people,

the customer’s dress gets dirty. There is no proper check of tickets in Trains. Most of

the time the 2 persons claim of their seats because they have same seat numbers. Train

gets too much stops during the Journey. They have their stations at every 20 minutes.

So people get frustrated. The staff of Pakistan Railway is In-efficient that’s they give

the tickets of same seat to the 2 customers.

Threats

Pakistan Railway should launch some comfortable Trains because customers feel

comfortable Journey through comfortable buses and vehicle like Daewoo and Aero

planes. So they capture the market of Pakistan Railway.

Its Shipment facility is not so good so people or businessmen prefer other substitute

like buses, Aero planes, etc

No stations in big cities like Dera Ismail Khan Etc but buses and other transportation

facilities are there.

The earning of Pakistan Railway is always loses for the Government but on the other

side buses, Aero planes and other services are getting more and more profits.

The expenditure of Pakistan Railway is very high as compare to revenue.

Opportunity

In addition to above, Twenty reservation offices have been planned to be

computerized. Jacobabad Mirpur Khas Jahangir Road Mehrabpur Jheulm Sargodha

Malakwal Shorkot Cantt Nowshera Lalamusa Bhakkar Pakpattan Kundian

Wazirabad Toba Tek Sing Kasur Raiwind Chiniot Landhi Tando Adam.

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Doubling of Track

Pakistan Railways is presently working on Lahore Khanewal 121 Kilometers Section

for doubling of track. The project is expected to be completed by May 2006

Advertising inside/outside trains and on Railway land. Operation of Cyber Cafes at

major stations. Operation of Twelve Petrol Pumps on Railway land. Housing

Complexes on Railway land. Selling scrap worth Rs.500.00 Million during the year

2001 to 2002. Increasing the number of coaches on the existing trains for more

passenger traffic by overhauling 350 coaches out of 700 lines at present. Recover an

other Rs.250 Millions from Punjab Food Department. Recover another Rs.108

Millions from the Ministry of Defense. Generate Rs.30 Millions from remaining plots

at Badami Bagh. Reducing Expenditure ,Cut down further on electric consumption

Reduced the work force by another 5000 employees through attrition and

rationalization, Sui Gas connections will be handed over to Sui Northern Gas to avoid

extra expenditure on bulk supply, reduction in the number of train services on un-

remunerative routes

Ten Years Prospective plan of Pakistan Railways

Purposed performance indicator

REVENUE RECEIPTS

Year Passenger Freight Other Earnings (Rs) Overall Earnings (Rs)

PKMs Earning (Rs) TKMs Earning (Rs)

2003-04 22.8 8.2 4.9 4.6 1.7 14.5

2004-05 23.2 8.6 5.5 5.2 1.9 15.7

2005-06 23.7 90. 6.3 5.9 2.0 16.9

2006-07 24.3 9.5 7.3 6.9 2.3 18.7

2007-08 25.0 10.0 8.4 7.9 2.5 20.4

2008-09 25.8 10.7 9.6 9.0 2.8 22.5

2009-10 26.8 11.7 11.1 10.4 3.1 25.2

2010-11 27.9 12.9 12.7 11.9 3.6 28.4

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PEST ANALYSIS

What is PEST Analysis?

It is very important that an organization considers its environment before beginning

the marketing process. In fact, environmental analysis should be continuous and feed

all aspects of planning. The organization's marketing environment is made up of:

1. The internal environment e.g. staff (or internal customers), office technology,

wages and finance, etc.

2. The micro-environment e.g. our external customers, agents and distributors,

suppliers, our competitors, etc.

3. The macro-environment e.g. Political (and legal) forces, Economic forces,

Socio cultural forces, and Technological forces. These are known as PEST factors.

Analysis

Political factors:- Since the day Pakistan got its independence, political condition of

Pakistan is getting worse day after day and minute after minute. This political

instability has led to uncertain environment in the country, which is a threat for any

business including railway. So the new investors are now more reluctant to invest in

Pakistan and especially in railway. This has also threatened foreign companies

operating in Pakistan and they have become more conscious about their future. The

ultimate result is no investment by the potential investors in railway. The rules and

regulations are changed quite frequently due to change in the successive government

that affects the business flow of railway.

Economic factors:- Economic factors can not be excluded for operating any business

including railway. Economic conditions are not very sound. The increasing inflation,

imposition of new taxes, rising fuel charges and changes in government economic

policies have discouraged investment in railway. If Pakistan keeps on getting better

grants and loans waivers or if any other economy boosting factor such as controlled

inflation rate and economic growth take place, it will benefit the entire industry along

with railway.

Social factors:- The social environment has the following factors.

·Attitudes

·Desires

·Expectations

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Attitudes: Due to the lack of good services and advanced technology, people are not

optimistic or they have got mixed attitudes about Pakistan railway.

Desires: The basic factor which affects the choices of the people in the society is the

desire to show off. This factor has a big influence on the choices of people regarding

the selection of particular product or service. In case the people want the most

economical packages from Pakistan railway, The Company should come up with

introducing packages such as low fare for government servants and old people.

Expectations: The expectations of the people are also important. The expectations of

the people are very high to meet and fulfill. Goodwill of an entity can be developed

by delivering satisfaction to people according to their expectations.

Pakistan railway, by giving coverage to non-approached areas and with punctuality of

time and good services, need to meet people’s expectations.

Technological factors:- The technological factors are of great importance in any

industry like Pakistan railway. At present, Pakistan railway needs to encourage

investment to utilize the modern technology and to promote the research and

development activities.

The most needed technologies of Pakistan railway are:

·Electrical engines, New railway tracks, Setup of such system that improves the

efficiency, Online ticketing, System that finds defaults in railway tracks

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CURRENT PROBLEMS OF PAKISTAN RAILWAYS.

Pakistan Railways have been facing a persistent deficit since 1975-76. This has grave

implications for the national exchequer. The morale of the organization, renewal of

essential assets and consequently the quality of the service. It indicates existence of

chronic problems that have perverted the organization’s performance. While a

detailed analysis of the organization requires a longer time period and more resources,

some major issues identify

Gauge

Pakistan railway still suffers from a mixture of gauges, 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) and 1,000

mm (3 ft 3⅜ in), but this is being gradually tackled by converting the narrow gauge

lines to broad gauge, with little narrow gauge remaining.

2007

QUETTA: Former Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid (2007) has said construction

work on the 295 km Bostan-Zhob railway section will be started soon and the narrow

gauge railway track will be converted into the broad gauge.

The Pak-china rail traffic corridor is of immense strategic importance. The delay in

this respect is not good for the prosperity of Pakistan Railways.

Adjacent Countries

Should Pakistan Railways link up with railways to the west and north, breaks of

gauge will be created so:

Iran, Middle East, Europe, North Africa - 1,435 mm (4 ft 8½ in) / 1,676 mm(5 ft 6 in)

Central Asia - 1,524 mm (5 ft) / 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in)

China - 1,435 mm (4 ft 8½ in) / 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in)

South East Asia (Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand and beyond) - 1,000 mm (3 ft 3⅜

in)

Accidents

Ghotki train crash fo In its worst accident in recent years, three passenger trains

collided on 13 July 2005, derailing 13 carriages and leaving at least 120 dead. The

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Karachi Express ran into the back of the Quetta Express while it was stopped at a

station near Ghotki, and the Tezgam Express travelling in the opposite direction hit

several of the derailed carriages. According to officials, the conductor of the Karachi

Express misread a signal. Wiki news has related news:

Train crash in southern Pakistan kills more than a hundred

Super Parcel Express On 21 August 2005, the upcountry Super Parcels Express

derailed while crossing the Malir Bridge near Landhi in the Karachi Division. Eight

bogies were substantially damaged when an axle broke due to over loading. The rail

traffic was suspended for 24 hours. All down trains were terminated at Landhi and the

rakes and the locos made the turnaround from Landhi.

Development plans

In 2006, Ministry of Railways announced that railway tracks between Gwadar and

Quetta will be built. The Bostan-Zhob narrow-gauge railway line will be converted

into broad gauge within one year. These two projects will be developed at a cost of

US$1.25 billion.

In addition, there are several ongoing schemes of expansion into West Asia and

electrification (worth about $2 billion) over the five year period from 2005-2010.

Also, a high-speed railway (about 300km/h) between Punjab and Sindh is planned at a

cost of $1 billion.

In late 2006, plans to increase train speeds, install more lengths of double track and to

convert the country's railways to standard gauge and establish direct rail connections

with China have been announced by the president of Pakistan

Electrification

The 274 km (170 mile) section between Lahore and Khanewal is currently electrified.

But after the initiation of doubling of track from Khanewal to Lahore the

electrification of this piece of track has been virtually suspended. The second track

line is not electrified and it is not possible to run electric locomotives on single line.

The locomotive will easily come from Lahore to Khanewal, but can't go back to

Lahore for the second line is not electrified. This anomaly was not visualised by the

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project planners. And now, for all practical purposes, Pakistan Railways does not

have any electrified section.

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Train crash in southern Pakistan kills more than a hundred

Super Parcel Express

On 21 August 2005, the upcountry Super Parcels Express derailed while crossing the

Malir Bridge near Landhi in the Karachi Division. Eight bogies were substantially

damaged when an axle broke due to over loading. The rail traffic was suspended for

24 hours. All down trains were terminated at Landhi and the rakes and the locos made

the turn around from Landhi.

Mehrabpur train derailment

On 19 December 2007, the train, Karachi Express, an express service from Karachi to

Lahore, derailed near the town of Mehrabpur in the Sindh province of Pakistan. At

around 2:25 a.m. local time, fourteen of the train's sixteen carriages left the tracks,

some being mangled by the crash, others simply sliding down an embankment into the

water. Sabotage and terrorism were ruled out as the reason for the crash, with officials

believing a faulty track was the cause of the derailment.[13]

Future Developments

New Lines

In 2006 it was announced that a railway line between Gwadar and Quetta will be built

and the Bostan-Zhob narrow-gauge railway line will be converted into broad gauge in

2007 at a cost of US$1.25 billion. Plans to increase train speeds, install more lengths

of double track and to convert the country's railways to standard gauge are also

currently under work.

Electrification

In addition, there are several ongoing expansion plans into Central Asia and

electrification of the entire Pakistan Railways, estimated at a worth of about $2 billion

over the next five years (from 2005 to 2010).[14]

High-Speed Rail

In 2008, Pakistan Railways announced a plan of the construction of a $1 billion high-

speed railway line between Punjab and Sindh.[15]

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International Lines

China

Establishing direct rail connections with China were announced by Pervez Musharraf

in 2006.

Turkey

Abuse

Iran

Pakistan to Turkey container train service launched

In Spring 2009, a rail link between Quetta and Zahedan was constructed and allowed

Pakistan Railways direct access to Europe and the Middle East. The gauge changing

station was constructed to the standard gauge at Zahedan and the Turkish Lake Van

train ferry (soon to be bypassed) and the Marmaray Tunnel under the Bosphorus. It is

planned to run container trains and through passenger trains. Pakistan plans to convert

the Quetta line to standard gauge eventually.

China-Pakistan Links

Islamabad on Monday awarded a Rs72 million (US$1.2 million) contract to an

international consortium to carry out a feasibility study for establishing a rail link with

China to boost trade relations between the two countries.

The study will cover a 750-kilometer section between Havellian and the 4,730-meter-

high Khunjerab crossing over Mansehra district and the Karakoram Highway.

Havellian is already linked with the rest of the rail network in Pakistan; the Chinese

will lay some 350 km of track within their own territory from Kashgar terminus up to

the Khunjerab Pass, linking Pakistan with China's rail network, largely following the

route of the Karakoram Highway.

By expanding its stake in Pakistan's rail sector, China is poised to exploit the country's

advantageous geographical position - strategically located at the confluence of South,

Central and West Asia.

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Beijing's involvement in several rail projects in Pakistan is motivated primarily by

commercial considerations, but it also sees distinct advantages for its improved

transportation and access to Central Asia and the Persian Gulf states. A reliable

network of road and rail links can only ensure China's access to energy-rich central

Asia, serving it both commercially and strategically.

In the first week of this month, Pakistan Railways and China's Dong Fang Electric

Supply Corp signed an agreement for establishing a rail link between Havellian and

Khunjerab. Ingenieurgemeinschaft Lasser-Feizlmayr (ILF), a consortium of

consultant engineers from Austria, Germany and Pakistan, is to submit its report to

the Ministry of Railways in nine months. It is most likely that the distance between

Havellian and Khunjerab will involve the construction of tunnels. The ILF services

encompass both the construction of new high-speed railway lines and the

modernization of existing lines for standard-gauge and narrow-gauge railways in

addition to tunnels.

China is actively involved in the development of Pakistan Railways and for the past

five years it has been increasing its stake in the country's communication sector.

Pakistan Railways is a state-owned company that provides an important mode of

transportation in the furthest corners of the country. It has been a great integrating

force and forms the lifeline of the country by catering to its needs for large-scale

movement of people. The freight-passenger earnings comprise 50% of the railway's

total revenue. Pakistan Railways carries 65 million passengers annually and operates

228 mail, express and passenger trains daily. It introduced new mail and express

trains between major terminals from 2003 to 2005.

Pakistan Railways has recently entered several agreements with Chinese railway

companies for its development. In 2001, Pakistan Railways signed a $91.89 million

contract with China National Machinery Import and Export Corp for the manufacture

of 175 new high-speed passenger coaches. The project was funded by Exim Bank

China on a supplier credit basis. Forty completely built passenger coaches have been

received and 105 will be assembled in Pakistan Railways' carriage factory by next

December.

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These coaches are being used on Pakistan Railways' mail and express trains from

Rawalpindi-Lahore-Karachi, Lahore-Faisalabad and Rawalpindi-Quetta. The

manufacturing kits for the remaining 30 coaches have also been received and

manufacturing is in progress. With 12 already assembled, the project is scheduled to

be completed by next month. The passenger coaches are of the latest design and are

equipped with disc brakes. The technology transfer for these coaches has been

obtained from China's Chang Chun Car Co.

Under an agreement signed with China in 2003, Pakistan Railways purchased 69

locomotives, of which 15 were delivered as completely built units and are in use by

Pakistan Railways. The remaining 54 are to be built at Pakistan Railways' locomotive

factory. The Chinese locomotives are 37% cheaper than the European locomotives.

Some in Pakistan have been criticizing the faulty locomotives purchased by Pakistan

Railways from Dong Fang Electric Corp of China. It is surprising that last year,

Pakistan Railways decided to purchase 45 more 2,000-3,000-horsepower locomotives

from the same company. The company is willing to redesign the already-delivered 30

locomotives of the original order, such that the underframe is strengthened and the

weight reduced to less than 140 tons. Last year, as a result of an open bidding, a

Chinese company, Beijing Research and Design Institute, is committed to providing

300 rail cars to Pakistan Railways.

Under another agreement signed in 2004 with China National Machinery and

Equipment Group, the Chinese company is to undertake the construction of Corridor

1 of a light-rail mass-transit system for Karachi that is intended to serve 4 million

commuters. The project will cost about $568 million and take four and a half years to

complete. The contract has been awarded on a build-operate-transfer basis and

comprises five corridors.

Pakistan signed a series of agreements with China during the past three years to

enhance the capability of its railway system. Under an agreement signed between

Pakistan and China Railway, a Chinese company will provide 1,300 freight cars to

Pakistan Railways, of which 420 will be manufactured in China and the remaining

880 will be produced at the Moghalpura railway workshops in Lahore.

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Under another project, 450 passenger coaches will be rehabilitated at an estimated

cost of Rs2.14 billion. The project also includes the conversion of 40 coaches into air-

conditioned cars and the conversion of 10 power vans. Furthermore, there is a

provision of 100 new high-speed bogies, 30 of which will be imported from China,

while 70 will be manufactured locally on a transfer-of-technology basis. Under a

separate agreement, 175 new passenger coaches are being purchased from China.

As part of a $100 million agreement signed between Pakistan and China in November

2001, China is to export 69 modern locomotive engines to Pakistan to modernize

Pakistan's railway fleet. The first eight engines have been completed and are ready for

shipment to Karachi. The new engines consume less fuel than older models and are

cheaper to maintain. The main feature of this deal is that the first 15 engines will be

manufactured in China and the remainder will be assembled in Pakistan, with spare

parts and technology provided by China. Similarly, for a Rs7.2 billion railway project

in Sindh province involving laying 78,000 tons of rails, China delivered 64,000 tons

to Pakistan Railways.

As a part of its development plan for its transport and communications network,

Pakistan Railways has completed a feasibility study of the Chaman-Kandahar section

for laying railway tracks between Pakistan and Turkmenistan through Afghanistan.

The feasibility study for cost, engineering and design for the construction of a rail link

from Gwadar to the existing rail network in Mastung district in Balochistan has also

been finalized. The new link to Gwadar port will open up underdeveloped areas of

Balochistan for development. The main aim of the venture is to connect the Central

Asian republics with Pakistan Railways' network through Afghanistan.

China is going to be the beneficiary of Gwadar's most accessible international trade

routes to the Central Asian republics and Xinjiang. By extending its East-West

Railway from the Chinese border city of Kashi to Peshawar in Pakistan's northwest,

Beijing can receive cargo to and from Gwadar along the shortest route, from Karachi

to Peshawar. The rail network could also be used to supply oil from the Persian Gulf

to Xinjiang. Pakistan's internal rail network can also provide China with rail access to

Iran.

.

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Railways continues to suffer heavy losses

Pakistan Railways is continuously facing economic losses despite the injection of

subsidy worth billions of rupees to make it a profitable public sector organization over

the last two years. The National Assembly was told on Thursday that during 2007-

2008 it suffered a loss of Rs12.66 billion which increased to Rs18.609 billion in 2008-

2009.

According to figures placed before the lower house of the parliament, the government

had provided a subsidy of Rs7.30 billion to Pakistan Railways in 2007-2008 and

Rs9.034 billion during 2008-2009. However, losses showed the subsidy had little

impact on the overall performance of its operations. In response to a question, Federal

Minister for Railways Haji Ghulam Bilour informed that there were multiple reasons

of the loss.

A parliamentarian from opposition benches suggested that instead of giving railway

land on lease to powerful people, it should be sold in the open market to make it a

profitable organization. At present, PR owns a total of 167,690 acres and its estimated

value as per a study carried out by financial experts during 2002-2003 is Rs246

billion.

A fresh study for updating valuation of railway’s assets is currently in progress, the

minister said.During 2007-2008, the minister for railways said, 15 per cent increase in

pay and pension of federal government employees, phenomenal increase in oil prices

were the main reasons behind PR’s losses. Moreover, on the eve tragic death of

Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, railway’s assets suffered a massive loss of Rs6.5

billion.

The incident also caused a loss of Rs0.994 million due to suspension of train services.

It also faced a shortfall of revenue of Rs9.017 billion. Similarly, during 2008-2009 the

organisation had to face a shortfall in it revenue of Rs6.439 billion. Likewise, the

government increased pay, allowances and pensions up to 20 per cent which the PR

had to pay from its kitty.

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ORGANIZATION CHART & ORGANOGRAM OF THE PAKISTAN

RAILWAY BOARD

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