Karachi–Peshawar Line


Karachi–Peshawar Railway Line is one of four main railway lines in Pakistan, operated and maintained by Pakistan Railways. The long line starts at Kiamari station, Sindh, and ends at Peshawar Cantonment Station in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The railway is dual tracked between Keamari and Shahdara Bagh, and Chaklala and Golra Sharif. With 173 railway stations, the line serves as the country's main passenger and freight line, 75% of the country's cargo and passenger traffic passing through yearly.
In 2016, funding for a six-year, US$6.8 billion upgrade and renovation project was agreed as part of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor, with the average speed to be doubled to 140 kilometers per hour upon completion. The project has been delayed several times since then.

History

The present-day Karachi–Peshawar Railway Line was built as a patchwork of different railways during the British Raj during the 19th century. It consists of the following historic sections built between 1861 and 1900:
  • Karachi–Kotri section, opened in 1861
  • Kotri–Rohri section, opened in 1900
  • Rohri–Multan section, opened in 1879
  • Multan–Lahore section, opened in 1861
  • Lahore–Peshawar section, opened in 1876

Early development

The Scinde Railway was constructed in 1861 as a broad gauge railway line between Karachi and Kotri. Work on the first line for public use in the region had commenced in April 1858. Following completion, the Indus Steam Flotilla began docking in Kotri instead of Karachi from Multan. The Punjab Railway was constructed and inaugurated in late 1861 as a broad gauge railway line between Multan and Lahore, and later extended to Amritsar. The travel time between Sindh and Punjab was greatly reduced together with the Scinde Railway, Indus Steam Flotilla and Punjab Railways; the previous 40 day journey between Karachi and Lahore was reduced to 48 hours.

Mergers & expansion

In 1870, the Scinde, Punjab & Delhi Railway was with the merger of the Scinde Railway, Indus Steam Flotilla, Punjab Railway and Delhi Railway companies to increase efficiency of passenger and cargo transport between Sindh and Punjab. However, the rail gap between Kotri and Multan was considered a hassle, as the Indus River and Sutlej River were major obstacles to crossings at the time. In 1871, the Indus Valley State Railway was inaugurated and construction began on extending the railway line from Multan south towards Bahawalpur, crossing the Sutlej River and to Rohri. In 1876, the Punjab Northern State Railway was constructed between Lahore and Peshawar and in 1883 the Attock Bridge over the Indus River was opened. In 1878, the Empress Bridge over the Sutlej River was opened and in 1879 the Indus Valley State Railway reached Rohri. From there, a steam ferry would transport eight rail carriages at a time across the Indus between Rohri and Sukkur. This was cumbersome and time-consuming. In 1889, the Lansdowne Bridge between Rohri and Sukkar was opened and in 1893 work on the Kotri Bridge commenced. It was only in 1900 that the section between Rohri and Kotri was completed. In 1885, all the companies were merged to form the North Western State Railway.

ML-1 upgrade

Since 2015 plans exist to expand and reconstruct the ML-1, funded by Chinese loans, as part of the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor. The plan involves doubling the track from Karachi to Peshawar, providing grade separation, as well as communications-based train control.
The first phase is expected to cost billion. In June 2016, China and Pakistan unveiled plans for the second phase of the project, with a total cost of billion for both phases of the project.
The first phase was expected to be completed by December 2017, with the second phase expected to be completed in 2021. The project has been delayed repeatedly, with reports in January 2022 suggesting that there was no funding plan in place and China reluctant to provide capital. As of 2023 the upgrade project has not been initiated.
Upgrading the railway line is expected to permit train travel at speeds of 160 kilometers per hour, versus the average 60 to 105 km per hour speed currently possible on existing track, and is expected to increase Pakistan Railways' annual revenues by approximately US$480 million. The upgrades are also expected to cut transit times from Karachi to Peshawar by half. Pakistani railways currently account for 4% of freight traffic in the country, and upon completion of CPEC, Pakistani railways are expected to transport 20% of the country's freight traffic by 2025.

Upgrade plan

At the time of CPEC's announcement, the ML-1 was dual track between Karachi and the Lahore suburb of Shahdara, and between Golra Sharif and Chaklala, with long stretches of single track elsewhere. Construction works to upgrade to dual track between Lodhran to Shahdara were completed in January 2016. As part of the first phase of the CPEC railway project, the remaining stretch of track between Shahdara and Peshawar is to be upgraded to dual track.
The first part of the project will focus on upgrading the Multan to Peshawar section, which will then be followed by the Hyderabad to Multan section, and finally by the Hyderabad to Karachi section.
The 676-kilometer portion between Lalamusa, north of Lahore, and Peshawar will require complete reconstruction, with the addition of tunnels, culverts, and bridges, while over 900 kilometers south of Lalamusa towards Karachi will be upgraded to handle cars with a 25-ton axle load capacity. A spur from Taxila to Havelian will also be constructed, with a dry port to be established near the city of Havelian. The entire length of track will be upgraded to computerized signal systems, with stretches of track in urban areas fenced off to prevent pedestrians and vehicles from crossing tracks in unauthorized areas.
In November 2022 the Pakistani and Chinese heads of state signed an agreement to begin work on the line with Chinese financing. The Financial Times has reported criticism that the loans are a poor choice economically, especially with the state being under financial strain. However, this has been countered with the assertion that the upgrades are necessary, risking the railway system not functioning otherwise.
In June 2024, the upgrade work on the ML-1 will start together with the upgrade work for the Karachi Circular Railways.

Stations

The stations on this line are as follows: