LAHORE: Pakistan Railways freight trains January 2026 will grow from nine to 14, after the ministry decided to add five more goods trains to meet the demands of traders. The new trains will start running from January 31, and the move is meant to carry more goods by rail and to bring in more freight revenue for the railway. The decision was taken at a meeting at the Railways headquarters on Friday, and it is one of the biggest freight pushes the railway has made in years.
Goods trains nine to 14 January 31 is the timetable the ministry has fixed, and the five new trains will join the nine that already run. Freight trains are the workhorses of the railway, and they carry containers, coal, cement and other heavy goods between the port and the cities. Traders have been asking for more freight space for months, because road transport is dearer and slower for bulk goods. The railway says the extra trains will ease that pressure.
Hanif Abbasi chaired freight trains meeting at the Railways headquarters on Friday, and the minister for railways backed the plan in full. He said the decision to grow the freight business would not only meet the demands of the business community but would also raise the income of the railway. Freight is one of the few parts of the railway that earns money, and the minister wants it to earn more. The meeting looked at which routes need the extra trains most, and how the wagons and locomotives will be arranged.
Hafeezullah Pakistan Railways chief executive told Dawn that the five more freight trains would start operations by January 31. He said the decision was final, and that the work to prepare the trains had already begun. The chief executive is the man who runs the railway day to day, and his word carries weight with the staff. Traders will now watch to see if the trains really start on time, because a promise on paper is not the same as a train on the track.
The business community freight demand Pakistan Railways cited is real, and it has been growing for years. Factories in Faisalabad, Lahore and Karachi need raw material brought in and finished goods sent out, and the port in Karachi is the gateway for both. When the railway cannot carry enough, the goods go by truck, which costs more and clogs the roads. More freight trains should cut that cost, and that is why the business community has pressed for them.
A freight revenue Pakistan Railways expansion is also good news for the railway itself, which has lost money for years. Passenger trains earn little, and many of them run at a loss, but freight trains pay their way. If the five new trains run full, they will bring in steady income that can help pay for repairs, wages and new wagons. The ministry has tried before to grow freight, and this time it has set a clear date, which gives the plan a better chance.
The move fits with other railway work this year. The Karakoram Express was upgraded with 20 coaches and an AC sleeper, and special trains were run for Sikh pilgrims to Nankana Sahib. Those were passenger moves, and they won praise, but freight is where the money is. A railway that carries goods well can pay for its passenger trains too, and that is the balance the ministry is trying to strike. The five new freight trains are a step in that direction.
There are still questions to answer before January 31. The railway will need enough wagons, locomotives and drivers for five more trains, and it will need to keep the tracks clear for them. Freight trains are slow and heavy, and they share the same lines as passenger trains, so the timetable must be planned with care. If the planning is poor, the new trains could delay the passenger trains, and that would bring complaints of a different kind.
For now, traders and railway staff have a date to work towards, and that is more than they had before. The five new freight trains will not solve every problem of Pakistan Railways, but they are a clear and practical step. If they run on time and run full, they will show that the railway can still grow its business. The test will come on January 31, when the first of the new trains is meant to roll out of the yard.
Also Read: Saudi Arabia to Give Pakistani Workers Visas in 24 Hours
Previous: Punjab Universities Seek Repeal of Name Change Law
Next: US Pakistan Deepen Digital Banking Ties With Cisco Network
