Sheikh Rashid inaugurates Rahman Baba Express offering reduced Karachi-Peshawar travel time

E-Paper | October 19, 2026

Sheikh Rashid inaugurates Rahman Baba Express offering reduced Karachi-Peshawar travel time

Dawn.com Published December 23, 2018

Federal Minister for Railways Sheikh Rashid Ahmed addresses the inauguration ceremony of Rahman Baba Express.— DawnNewsTV

Federal Minister for Railways Sheikh Rashid on Sunday inaugurated Rahman Baba Express, a train service which will reduce travel time between Peshawar and Karachi to almost 26 hours, reported Radio Pakistan.

The minister, while addressing the inauguration ceremony, said that the fare for the train will be only Rs1,350. He announced that two VVIP nonstop trains will also be launched in the next two months as well as three trains for tourists.

He vowed to pay back the ministry's Rs25 billion loan through fares. He said that VVIP services will be offered to passengers to pay off the loans of Pakistan Railways.

He added that he has already ordered the authorities to remove encroachments from around the Peshawar Railway Station. According to Rashid, the remaining encroached lands will also be recovered soon.

"About 20 new trains will be launched next year," he said, adding that freight trains will also be increased from 10 to 15 to reduce the department’s losses.

He added Jahangira and Nowshera stations will be developed under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

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Awan

Dec 23, 2018 01:12pm

This train was already planned during PMLN's time and engines were ordered from GM for this purpose. If PTI has any shame then kindly give some credit to those who started that project. Shamelessly stealing the credit is a form of corruption.

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Dec 23, 2018 01:18pm

Well done Sheikh sb - very appreciative the whole railway team, even they did not buy a single boggy and engine to run these numbers of NEW trains. It means this all material lying dumped before.

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Danish

Dec 23, 2018 01:20pm

Very good need train every hour from peshwar to Karachi and other destinations due to denand by public and cheap mode of transport. Hope China will donate more railway engines and carriages to Railway to run the project smoothly.

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Ali Raza

Dec 23, 2018 01:29pm

Then all the available engines will be serving passenger trains leaving no engines available for freight trains. Thus railway will go into more destruction.

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Ravi

Dec 23, 2018 01:43pm

The average speed comes to 66km per hour. So the train has to run maximum distance at a speed of 100 to 120 km per hour..

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Uaman

Dec 23, 2018 01:58pm

Well come to karachi

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M. Saeed

Dec 23, 2018 02:30pm

Perennially corruption prone Railways is almost impossible to run on profit with the same staff and their supervisors. Sh. Rashid cannot be everywhere to watch the operation.

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ali ahmed

Dec 23, 2018 02:45pm

How so many trains will run on single railway track

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Mansur Ul Haque

Dec 23, 2018 02:51pm

Sheikh sahib , I am interested to know how much losses of railway has been reduced.

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M Naqvi

Dec 23, 2018 02:58pm

If this is true and it happens in the future then it will become a truely remarkable recovery for pakistan railways. The Minister seems to be genuine honest man for Pakistan - a rare thing in Pakistan past.

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Daniyal shah

Dec 23, 2018 03:13pm

Mr Seikh Rasheed one humble request from Peshawar. As most railway track are unused, it would be useful to connect Hayatabad to Gulbahar through high speed intracity train. This would really help in reducing traffic congestion in Peshawar and act as an alternative to BRT.

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Adil108

Dec 23, 2018 03:38pm

A man of wisdom and words. He is very active, busy and committed minister. Hope that he includes European style trains and their systems as well.

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Dr. Salaria, Aamir Ahmad

Dec 23, 2018 04:21pm

Excellent "show me" works undertaken and executed on the ground for the people by the one and the only veteran politician and current dynamic minister of Railways in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, over a short period of four months. Well done and keep it up.

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Hasnain Haque

Dec 23, 2018 05:08pm

He has achieved so much in such a little time. It shows that honesty can achieve great results.

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Hasnain Haque

Dec 23, 2018 05:09pm

Well done Sh Sahib.

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Love Your Country

Dec 23, 2018 05:15pm

Why is there no details of the new trains he has talked about?

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AKB

Dec 23, 2018 05:28pm

Great news. IK has proved his worth both in cricket and Politics.

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Misba

Dec 23, 2018 06:03pm

@Awan, They had 5 years why didn't they do it.

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Ravi

Dec 23, 2018 06:06pm

@Awan, oh..It happens in every country for government funded projects.

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Ravi

Dec 23, 2018 06:08pm

@Danish, its time to start manufacturing atleast coaches if not engine. Better to move to electric traction for economic viability.

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Ravi

Dec 23, 2018 06:09pm

@Mansur Ul Haque, for this to come out clearly wait for atleast a year.

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Naveed Burki

Dec 23, 2018 06:15pm

It is very easy to plan on paper but the extreme difficulties arise in implementation. It is even more difficult when the railway officers and all above them are waiting for an under the table ''deal" for deposits in their foreign bank accounts. The mega projects are worth hundreds of billions of rupees, and so are the illegal commissions.(one of the major reasons for the value of one dollar rising from Rs.3.85 to Rs.145). Has it not been the "modus operandi" for the last few decades?

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Zahid

Dec 23, 2018 06:15pm

Good going.Minister!!!!

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Saeed Khawaja

Dec 23, 2018 06:15pm

I wish to return to Islamabad one day and ride in those trains to see beautiful Pakistan. My father served in Pakistan Railways in 60's and I grew up in railway colonies. The Engines and bogies were bought some times ago but it was PTI and Sheikh Rashid who put them on the track. The credit goes to both. Thank you Khawaja Saad Rafiq and thank you Sheikh Rashid making Pakistan beautiful.

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Shahid Hassan

Dec 23, 2018 06:53pm

The real test will be in successful ( profitable , reliable , consistent) operations of this route . The reality of Pakistan Railways is not that there is lack of demand . The truth is years of neglect and lack of support for incremental improvement in railway infrastructure from tracks to coaches to engines has made the consumer demand untenable. The right strategy should have been recovering railways through improved freight revenue which could then be invested in improving passenger operations . The present strategy would mean publicity but economic downturn .

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Murtaza M

Dec 23, 2018 06:59pm

The amount of progress and activity on railway front has never been seen before, atleast since I was born in the early 80s.

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kks

Dec 23, 2018 07:21pm

Well done Shaikh Sahib. You can turn around Railway and make it pride of Pakistan. Increase market share of railways by reducing fare both for passengers and cargo. There is no limit how much Railways can earn as it is safe and much more convenient.

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THE MORNING STAR

Dec 23, 2018 07:33pm

I am going to come and take a train ride Karachi to Peshawar.

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Amjad Durrani Engineer USA

Dec 23, 2018 08:02pm

@Awan, Anyone with a right mind can figure out that locomotive engines & other paraphernalia has a long gestation period to order, manufacture & delivery, were there to be put to use. But a million dollar question remain why were not they put to use in the first place? May be because NL minister was busy in fraudently launching Ashiana housing scheme & fleecing those unsuspecting 600 investors in the project, out of their money. It is creditable job by existing railway minister who took stock of the situation & saving the existing machinery from getting depreciated by sitting idle, by putting it to beneficial use. One must be above political affiliation & appreciate anything done in an efficient manner for general public use. The present railway minister,an experienced hand, instrumental in bringing efficiency & order through management of this loosing concern, effecting recovery of encroached land worth billion, reduction of fare & trains running on schedule, should be appreciated.

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Saif Zulfiqar

Dec 23, 2018 08:06pm

@Awan, Many projects were announced by ZPMLN and PPP but only one project was persued by them - Empty the Treasury.

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Riaz

Dec 23, 2018 09:09pm

@Awan, a lot of projects were started how was pmln getting cpec project credit ...it diesnt matter who planned but who delivered

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Truth Sayer

Dec 23, 2018 09:17pm

Excellent work.. Keep it up Sheikh sahib

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A Khan

Dec 23, 2018 09:29pm

@Awan, Why they have not started the train why they waited

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Tahir Raouf

Dec 23, 2018 09:46pm

What happened to the inauguration he made in Chakwal during his last tenure

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M. Afzal Riaz, MD

Dec 23, 2018 11:07pm

Each Government is meant to implements projects to improve the Country. Bad idea to have special tourist trains? A target for tourist by idiots. Look what happened in Morraco to tourists.

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Suchbaath

Dec 23, 2018 11:56pm

On paper train times looks good, in actual there is no data provided for arrival time efficiencies which speaks the truth.

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f35

Dec 24, 2018 12:58am

@Ravi, "The average speed comes to 66km per hour. So the train has to run maximum distance at a speed of 100 to 120 km per hour.." Well India's Train 18 just exceeded 180 kmph.........!

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Fazal Karim

Dec 24, 2018 12:58am

Finally sense has prevailed and due importance is given to railways. Pakistan geography compels us to give top priority to railways. Pakistan is stretching north to south, lay double or triple lines with facilities for containers service at every hundred miles. From her shift containers to branch lines or use trucks to haul small distances. Improve quality of railway tracks to bear load and speed.

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f35

Dec 24, 2018 01:01am

" Rahman Baba Express, a train service which will reduce travel time between Peshawar and Karachi to almost 26 hours, " so what is the time taken by other trains......52 hours?

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Adil Jadoon

Dec 24, 2018 03:37am

@Awan, can you show any evidence of this?

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Adil Jadoon

Dec 24, 2018 03:38am

@Danish, why so you need donations?

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Hafeez

Dec 24, 2018 04:29am

Great job sheikh sahib make Pakistan railway a modern railway.

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Chacha

Dec 24, 2018 04:31am

@Awan, They are following footsteps of PMLN. They take credit for making Pakistan a Nuclear state

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Hafeez

Dec 24, 2018 04:33am

Chart shows very good promises progress. 30 projects in full swing.

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sughra

Dec 24, 2018 04:50am

Sheikh Rashid's top-notch performance in the railway sector is exemplary and a great service to the community, especially poor and seniors. I am a senior and I intend to take a free ride on a clean and safe train. Thanks Mr. Minister

Recommend 0

Dec 24, 2018 05:45am

@Adil108 , from where Money will come? Will NLC allow SR to run more freigt trains?

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Masood

Dec 24, 2018 05:47am

These trains are super slow ! Need to induct new technologies and plan to reduce Karachi Pesahawar time to about 10 hours

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Khan

Dec 24, 2018 06:07am

Keep changes names of train,taking credit for already purchased trains from NS parties.

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bkt

Dec 24, 2018 09:30am

It would be nice if Sheikh Rasheed could get the trains to run on time.

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Ranajyoti

Dec 24, 2018 10:55am

@Dr. Salaria, Aamir Ahmad, contrary to your common enthusiasm, this railway minister is marketing his political agenda before citizen and half-witted experts. He doesn't have any idea how railways become profitable in low-income countries. Though success story is rare , it is freight services which provide profitable revenue. Why? Because railway must subsidize its ticketing to general masses for commuting. Otherwise the objective of railway service in such countries will be failed.

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Obsrvr

Dec 26, 2018 03:11pm

Before starting such special trains first ensure the safety of tracks by investing in infrastructure!

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