LAHORE: Pakistan Railways (PR) has earned a record Rs83 billion in the 11 months of the ongoing fiscal year, 2024-25 ending on June 30. With Rs83 billion till May 30, the PR administration is all set to break its last financial year’s record of Rs88 billion with a hope to touch the figure of Rs95 billion till June 30, Dawn has learnt.

“I think we will be able to earn total revenue of Rs95 billion till June 30,” PR’s Chief Executive Officer Amir Ali Baloch claimed on Friday.

According to railway administration, till May 30, the PR earned Rs42 billion from passengers train operations, Rs29 billion from freight trains and Rs12 billion from other sources including the leasing of land.

The PR’s Karachi division topped in the income with earning of Rs13 billion from passenger trains and Rs25 billion from freight train operations. Lahore division earned Rs10 billion from passenger trains and Rs750 million. Rawalpindi and Multan divisions earned Rs4 billion each from passenger sector and Rs8 billion from freight train operations.

“The Rs83 billion till May 30 (11 months) was never earned in the history of railways. In last year, the PR earned Rs77 billion till May 30, 2024,” said the minister for Railways Hanif Abbasi in a statement.

The PR had earned revenue of Rs88bn for the fiscal year 2023-24, ending on June 30, with 40pc more income compared to the fiscal year 2022-23 during which the total revenue was reported to be Rs63bn.

The last year’s income included Rs47bn earned through sale of tickets, Rs28bn from freight and Rs13bn from railway land leasing and other revenue streams. In 2018-19, the PR’s total income/revenue was Rs45 billion that increased to Rs48.5 billion in 2020-21 and Rs63.5 billion in 2022-23 fiscal years.

The PR admin says that the increase in revenue is due to improvement in services related to passengers and freight with limited resources available to the department

Published in Dawn, May 31st, 2025.