Karachi-Dargai train service to be restored soon: Railways minister

E-Paper | June 13, 2026

MARDAN/BATKHELA: Federal Minister for Railways Sheikh Rashid Ahmad said on Sunday that government would restore train service from Dargai to Karachi soon.

He inaugurated safari train service from Nowshera to Mardan and Dargai to boost tourism in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

He travelled in the safari train from Nowshera to Mardan, Takhbhai and Dargai along with relevant staff.

Senior Provincial Minister Mohammad Atif Khan, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Mohammad Khan, MNA Mujahid Khan and MPAs Zahir Shah Toru, Abdus Salam Afridi and Ifikhar Ali Mashwani were also present on the occasion.

Sh Rashid inaugurates Nowshera-Mardan safari train

Addressing the inaugural ceremony, Sheikh Rashid Ahmad said that remains of Buddhists monastery in Takhbahi were included in the World Heritage List that’s why government was taking steps to attract foreign tourists.

He said that government would soon restore train service from Dargai to Karachi on the said railway track. “We are going to grow trees and gardens on both sides of the railway track,” he added.

The federal minister said that they had planned to launch work next month on ML-1for which 1,700 kilometres long tack would be laid from Peshawar to Karachi. He added that train would travel on the track with the speed of 160 kilometres per hour.

He said that they were demolishing some parts of mountains in Gujar Khan and Jhelum to construct 69 kilometres strait railway route. After that, he said, train journey from Rawalpindi to Lahore would reduce to two hours.

The minister said that they were taking steps to launch three new train services from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh provinces. He announced to hand over four steam engines to provincial government. The provincial government would pay salaries of staff and bear other expenditures.

The minister said that railway could play a pivotal role in ending pollution. He said that Rs10 billion target of revenue was set for railways.

He added Rs4 billion revenue was generated and the remaining Rs6 billion would be generated in the remaining period.

He said that steps were being taken to remove all encroachments from the railway track. He said that government would provide train to PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari for the train march. “We were denied the same facility when PTI wanted to launch train march,” he added.

Published in Dawn, March 25th, 2019

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LAHORI KID

Mar 25, 2019 09:07am

The government can provide the train to PPP, but PPP still needs to pay for everything related to the journey. PR officials, train operators, and others aren't free, fuel for the trains isn't free, electricity used isn't free, have Bilawal write a check for the entire expense.

Recommend 0

Jalaluddin S. Hussain

Mar 25, 2019 09:08am

A good example of improvements in slow motion.

Recommend 0

Tallat

Mar 25, 2019 09:37am

Good job

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Obsrvr

Mar 25, 2019 09:39am

Railways needs a minister who understands technical dimensions of projects: this dude in his political zeal to run new trains, with his half-baked ideas, has already caused a fatal accident in form of Rawalpindi-Mianwali train!

Recommend 0

Danish

Mar 25, 2019 09:44am

Very good . Welldone millions of tourist will visit in this area and PR will pay their debts by this kind of of venture with no railway engines and carriages making fool to people .

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SkyHawk

Mar 25, 2019 09:53am

Now It's time for speedy modern trains sheikh sahib. And you are still pulling old engines and green yellow bogies.

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Shah

Mar 25, 2019 10:21am

I hope Dawn will give us train journey stories with lot of pictures in the coming weeks and months.

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MAK

Mar 25, 2019 11:01am

We do not have reliable engines carriages, the main traffic routs have been running in loss all due to mismanagement & corruption, Sheikh sb should concentrate on improving existing routes rather than reopen routs that were closed to cut losses, I am sure he has done the basic feasibility study

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Yousuf47 London

Mar 25, 2019 01:25pm

Pakistani Government should lay tracks, run stations and any shops witin the station, but should shy away to run trains. The tracks should be leased sector wise for a period of 25 years to the private sector to several operators to keep it competitive, much like British Railways. The entry of private sector will encourage more people of middle to upper class to use the train services.

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Yousuf47 London

Mar 25, 2019 02:38pm

Pakistani Government should lay tracks but running of trains should be leased to the private sector, so Government earns a revenue from leasing whilst the stations or any shops or land to belong to the Government. If tracks are leased to multiple companies, it will create competition between the private sectors to offer a competitive service on all routes, much like what British Rail has done.

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