Railways Minister Announces Inauguration of Modern Karachi Cantt Station on September 30
Karachi: Federal Minister for Railways Hanif Abbasi has announced that the new CIP Lounge at Karachi Cantt Station, described as “better than Europe,” will be inaugurated on September 30. He also revealed that Sukkur, Hyderabad, and other railway stations are being upgraded under modernization plans.
Addressing traders and industrialists at the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Abbasi said Wi-Fi is being introduced at 40 stations, while 155 stations are being converted to solar energy — 60% of which are already completed. In Karachi alone, 27 stations are in the process of being solarized.
He added that with **\$2 billion financing from the Asian Development Bank (ADB)**, work has begun to upgrade the Karachi–Rohri rail track, reducing travel time by four hours. The 480 km track will be modernized to improve efficiency.
The minister also highlighted progress on rail links connecting Karachi to Afghanistan, Karachi to Gwadar, and Gwadar back to Karachi. Plans are underway to digitize railway operations, including installing ATMs and Wi-Fi across all stations.
Abbasi further announced that **38 passenger trains will be outsourced by December 31**, in addition to railway hospitals and schools. Freight trains are also being outsourced to meet the high demand for coal and container transport. Currently, railways move only 150 out of 15,000 daily containers.
He stressed that Pakistan Railways cannot immediately reduce passenger fares but is cracking down on fare evasion, which causes an annual loss of Rs. 1 billion. Meanwhile, Rs. 15 billion worth of encroached railway land has already been retrieved, with plans to free up Rs. 50 billion worth more this year.
On the operational side, Abbasi said Pakistan Railways earned Rs. 2.25 billion in profit after years of losses, while demand for freight services is surging. He also announced a partnership with the Sindh government under which the Sindh Solid Waste Management Board will handle cleaning of Karachi stations and trains, cutting washing time from three hours to just 90 minutes.
Karachi Chamber of Commerce President Javed Bilwani and Businessmen Group Chairman Zubair Motiwala urged the government to revive the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) under CPEC and ensure more freight transport via rail instead of road to reduce costs and accidents.
