Pakistan Railways has approved a comprehensive strategic reform roadmap designed to transform the department into a financially sustainable, modern, and customer-oriented organization. According to an official in the Ministry of Railways, the roadmap focuses on strengthening freight operations, improving passenger services through infrastructure development, accelerating digital transformation, and enhancing private-sector participation.
The official stated that the reform plan aims to increase the railway's freight market share from the current 8 percent to around 20 percent following the upgradation of Main Line-1 (ML-1). This initiative will focus on expanding the transportation of bulk commodities, including coal, containers, cement, fertilizers, and rock phosphate. Additionally, the official said the passenger share is targeted to increase from the current 5 percent to 7.52 percent after the completion of the ML-1 upgradation.
The modernization programme includes the upgradation of the ML-1, ML-2, and ML-3 corridors. These upgrades are intended to enhance line capacity, improve safety, reduce travel time, and strengthen operational efficiency. The official added that the programme will also involve developing freight terminals, marshalling yards, and multimodal logistics parks, alongside upgrading passenger facilities at railway stations.
Regarding digital transformation, Pakistan Railways is introducing several new services and systems. These include Wi-Fi at major stations, real-time train tracking, passenger complaint management, smart railway stations, automated command and control systems, digital freight booking, automated weighbridges, freight parcel management services, and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP). The official noted that the RABTA application is already fully functional, providing digital booking and payment facilities. Furthermore, the SAP-based ERP system is currently supporting the management of finances, procurement, inventory, stores, payroll, and human resources to improve transparency and real-time decision-making.
The official stated that Pakistan Railways also plans to outsource the management of selected schools and hospitals. The department intends to encourage greater private-sector participation in commercial land development. The official said, “The greater private-sector participation would help improve service delivery, attract investment and reduce the financial burden on the government while enhancing operational efficiency, service quality and revenue generation.”
The official concluded that these reforms would ultimately improve passenger facilities and patronage, increase freight transportation, and strengthen the long-term financial sustainability of Pakistan Railways.
