Chronology Of Pakistan Railway 030307

The Chronology of Pakistan Railways By Owais Mughal [email protected]

(Last Updated: March 03, 2007) (Also see Acknowledgements in the end for the source of this information) (1) 1838: •

A survey was ordered by the British Government to lay a railway line from Sukkur to Sibi. The survey work however, didn't start until 1857.

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Written records show that as early as 1845, Rowland MacDonald Stephenson, a young employee of the first steam navigation company was doing his best to persuade the directors of the East India Company to introduce Railways into India. Rowland MacDonald Stephenson is now credited with the title of the ‘Father of the Indian Railways’.

(2) 1845:

(3) December 1851: •

Government of India accepted the standard width of broad gauge as 5'-6" and all future BG lines were to be built at this width.

•

Colonel J.P. Kennedy presented a memorandum which included a proposal for a railway following the Indus and branching off to Lahore, Peshawar and Gilgit, a line from near Hyderabad crossing Marwar desert to Ahmedabad, and a line across the Sundarbans to Dacca and thence to the east bank of the Ganges. This memorandum was accepted with many reservations by Mr. Simms, the consulting Engineer to the Government of India.

(4) 1852:

(5) December 1853: •

Lord Dalhousie, Governor General in India (1848-1856) gave his approval to the scheme for a railway from Karachi to Kotri.

(6) Early 1855 •

Sir Bartle Frere, the Commissioner for Sind proposed Karachi as a big seaport and a railway from Karachi to Kotri, steam navigation up the Indus, the Sutlej

and the Jhelum rivers to Multan and from there another railway to Lahore and beyond. (7) July 2, 1855: •

Scinde Railway Company was established in London to build the 169 km long Karachi City - Kotri Railway Line. (The official spellings of Scinde province later got changed to Sind and then to Sindh in 1980s)

(8) January 1856: •

Scinde Railway Company entered into a contract with the East India Company to lay a Kurrachee (Karachi) to Kotri rail track.

(9) March 1856: •

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July 1856: •

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Secretary of State for India gave Scinde Railway Company the permission to commence the survey of country from Multan to Amritsar via Lahore. The survey was carried out by William Brunton, Chief Engineer and brother of John Brunton of the Sindh line. The estimated cost of Multan - Lahore - Amritsar line came out to be 6000 pounds a mile.

June 1857: •

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The Scinde Railway Board requested permission of Secretary of State for India to commence the survey of the country from Multan to Lahore and Amritsar with a view to completing the combined system of steam rail transit by land and steam flotilla by water.

After conducting 11 different surveys of Karachi-Kotri route, the final route was approved.

1857: •

Survey started to lay a railway line from Sukkur to Sibi.

•

John Brunton became Chief Engineer of the project of laying Karachi-Kotri track. Brunton was also the Engineer in charge of the Indus Flotilla Company, which was run between Kotri and Multan, a distance of 700 miles.

April 29, 1858: •

Work started on a railway line between Karachi City and Kotri. The first sod was turned by Sir Bartle Frere, in an imposing ceremony.

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1858: •

Survey for the first Railway Line in and around Karachi was started on the orders of Sir Bartle Frere, the then Commissioner of Sindh. Karachi was then spelt as 'Kurrachee'.

•

In 1858 first 4 locomotives were produced that were to run on the railways that now make up Pakistan Railways. These locos were 2-4-0 tender engines made by Kitson & Co of Leeds. They had inside cylinders of 16”x 24” and coupled wheels of 5’ 1 ½”.

January 1859: •

The first ever portion of rail track in present day Pakistan was laid between Kiamari (the then Karachi port) and some railway workshops which swerved from the present main line near Karachi City station and crossed China Creek near the Boat Basin.

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Another constructed line ran from the workshops at Ghizree (now called Gizri) junction to Ghizree bandar. By this line, locomotives and heavy materials were taken to Gizri, from where by circuitous water routes of Indus river delta they were got up to Kotri.

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Contracts were made for the construction of a line from Multan to Amritsar, in the Punjab, and for working a steam flotilla on the Indus, connecting Sindh and the Punjab rail sections.

February 8, 1859: •

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March 5, 1859: •

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The First sod of Amritsar and Multan railway (then spelt as Umritsur and Moultan) was turned by Sir John Lawrence, the Lieutenant-Governer of the Punjab.

Work started on a viaduct across River Bahrun (between Bholari and Kotri Jn). (Also see January 26, 1861)

1859: •

A railway tunnel under the bed of River Indus was proposed by Colonel Robertson. This tunnel was to provide rail crossing of River Indus at Attock. The work on the tunnel started on March 12, 1860. The tunnel was supposed to be

1580 feet long out of which 1322 feet actually dug. The two bores of the tunnel came within 258 feet of each other when the tunnel project was abandoned. The last 258 feet required boring through solid rock and dealing with lots of water leakage. A bridge built in 1883 overtook this project. •

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March 5, 1859: •

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The 3.72 km (2.3 mi) dual track between Karachi City and Karachi Cant was inaugurated.

1861: •

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The 169.9 km (104.9 mi) track between Karachi City and Kotri was inaugurated.

May 15, 1861: •

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The viaduct across River Bahrun between Bholari and Kotri Jn was completed. This was the longest viaduct on Karachi – Kotri line with thirty two arches, each 45 feet long. All the arches were built for a double line of railway. (Also see March 5, 1859)

May 13, 1861: •

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The work on Multan-Lahore-Amritsar line proceeded steadily for more than a year, when a disagreement between the Chief Engineer and the Agent held it up and led to the removal of both. Mr. Joseph Harrison succeeded William Brunton as the Chief Engineer.

January 26, 1861: •

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Work started on digging a tunnel under water bed of Indus at Attock by sinking of a shaft by Pioneer Regiment.

1860: •

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In 1859, seven 2-2-2 locomotives with 15”x22” cylinders and 6’ driving wheels and thirteen 0-6-0 goods engines with cylinders of 16”x24” and 5’ coupled wheels were delivered to be run on Scinde Railway from Sharp Stewart and Co.

The earthwork was completed Lahore and Amritsar to lay a permanent railway.

March 1862: •

First locomotive arrives in Lahore that was to be used to Lahore-Amritsar section.

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April 10, 1862: •

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May 1, 1862: •

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The Lahore - Wagah - Amritsar line was practically completed with permanent iron fencing, which replaced the temporary mud walls. Telegraphic communications was also introduced on this line in 1863.

December 19, 1964: •

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An 18 km (11 mi) section, from the boat ghat (ramp) at Sher Shah on the River Chenab to the city of Multan was opened. It was to be used for the carriage of Railway material and goods. Later it was extended by half-a-mile to meet the requirements of passengers traveling by the steamers of the Indus flotilla.

1863: •

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The project of digging a tunnel under the bed of River Indus at Attock was shelved permanently.

May 5, 1863: •

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Two daily trains started running between Lahore and Amritsar on week-days, and one each way on Sundays.

1862: •

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A 24.7 km (15.25 miles) long Lahore Jn to Wagah section was opened. It was part of a longer Lahore-Amritsar section that was opened on the same day. Only 24.7 km portion of it now falls in Pakistan. At first the line was to be fenced with timber but then it was decided to have a fenced wire. The wire not being available at that time, it was decided to build mud walls for the opening. There were only 4 stations to begin with: Lahore, Mian-Meer (changed first to Lahore Cant and then to Moghalpura), Atari and Amritsar. The stations at Lahore and Amritsar had not been completed by the opening day and the goods sheds were used as temporary passenger stations.

Lahore and Multan were linked by railways. The line however, didn’t open to public until April 24, 1965.

April 24, 1865: •

287 km (177.21 mi) track between Khanewal and Lahore was opened.

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49 km (30.5 mi) track between Khanewal and Multan Cant was inaugurated.

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summer, 1866: •

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1869: •

In 1869 Lord Lawrence recommended a large extension of railways throughout the country and strongly argued that where the broad gauge was expensive a narrower gauge would be justified. The Govt. of India proposed the construction of trunk lines on the broad gauge and of secondary lines on the narrower gauge. What the narrower gauge was to be was left undecided. The lines intended for the Western and North Western frontiers of India were considered by the Government of India to be best suited for the Narrow Gauge. This led to the 'battle of the gauges' which raged for four long years, 1870 to 1874.

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Also in 1869, the Indus Flotilla Company was closed down while, Scinde Railway Company, Punjab Railway and the Delhi Railway were merged to form a single entity called the Scinde, Punjab and Delhi Railway.

February 1870: •

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The then Viceroy of India, Lord Mayo, decided that the Indus Valley and Peshawar lines should be constructed in narrow gauge 3'-3". But as the question of adopting the metric system of weights and measures was then under consideration, the meter - 3'-3 3/8"- was taken as the measure of the Narrow Gauge.

January 1871: •

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9.44 km (5.83 mi) track between Multan Cant and Muzaffarabad was inaugurated.

December 1870: •

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A survey was done on Chenab River, following which it was decided to confine the river to a channel of 9000 feet in width at the site of the future rail bridge on Chenab.

August 21, 1870: •

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Fencing of railway line all the way from Amritsar-Lahore-Multan got completed and night running was introduced in the summer of 1866.

A trial well was sunk to the depth of forty nine and a half feet in river Jhelum bank. This was the start of laying a rail bridge over River Jhelum.

Early 1871:

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October 1871: •

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Last well was sunk in river Jhelum as part of construction of the rail bridge over Jhelum.

June 1874: •

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Work started on the Empress Bridge over river Sutlej at Adamwahan.

April 1874: •

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77.63 km (47.92 mi) track between Lodhran and Muzaffarabad was inaugurated.

1873: •

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Government owned Steam Trains ran on the Grand Trunk Road. These were road trains pulled by a steam engine.

July 1, 1873 •

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Work also started on bridging River Ravi between Lahore and Shahdara.

1872: •

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First brick was laid to start work on the rail bridge over Chenab.

1871: •

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Work started on sinking the pier wells in Jhelum River as part of the rail bridge over river Jhelum

November 1, 1871: •

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Early in 1871 orders were issued by the Govt of India for the construction of the Indus Valley Railway and the line from Lahore to Rawalpindi on Meter gauge.

June 1874, Lord Salisbury decided that the Indus Valley and the Punjab Northern Lines should be constructed on the broad gauge of 5'-6" with rails of 60lbs. to the yard. This also closed the chapter of controversy over gauges, which had started in 1870.

Early 1875: •

Girder work was started on the River Jhelum Rail Bridge.

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December 23, 1875: •

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1875: •

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The Rail Bridge over river Jhelum was declared fit for traffic by Colonel Pollard, consulting engineer appointed by the government.

September 1876: •

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The last span of river Jhelum Rail Bridge was riveted.

September 6, 1876: •

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The Rail Bridge over Chenab was inaugurated by the Prince of Wales, who consented to it being named as the Alexandra Bridge.

August 23, 1876: •

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James Browne recommended constructing a stiffened suspension bridge over Indus at Sukkur with cables made of steel links and a span of 786 feet.

January 27, 1876: •

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First meter-gauge train crossed the newly constructed bridge over Chenab. The bridge was formally inaugurated on January 27, 1876. With the completion of this bridge, Punjab Northern State Railway opened a 115 km (71 mi) section between Lahore and Gujrat.

166 km long Meter Gauge track between Lahore Jn and Jhelum was opened. Three bridges on the three Punjab Rivers viz. Ravi, Chenab and Jhelum were completed.

1876: •

The necessity of having a railway system on the Kandahar front was recognized when Lord Lytton's 'forward' policy was initiated in 1876.

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Orders were given by the British Govt for the reconnaissance of Bolan Pass with an aim to lay a Railway Line there. But despite urgent representation of the military authorities in favor of the Bolan route, the project was abandoned in favor of constructing the Sind - Pishin Railway by the alternative route via Nari Gorge and Harnai.

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In winter of 1876, a survey party under Major (later General) Sir James Browne, made a reconnaissance into the hills.

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June 7, 1878: •

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July 1, 1878: •

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103.90 km (64.14 mi) section between Radhan and Ruk on the west bank of River Indus was opened.

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Sukkur to beginning of Sukkur- Habib Kot realignment upto KM 8.3 (MI 5.124) was also opened on the same day. Total length of this new track was 3.97 km (2.45 mi).

October 6, 1878: •

167.1 km (103.15 mi) long Lahore - Jhelum Section was opened as Broad gauge.

•

October 6, 1878 is also the official date of opening of 123.47 km (76.22 mi) long Jhelum-Rawalpindi section. But realignment work continued on this section till 1897. The dates of later re-openings of this section are given below.

October 8, 1878: 122.34 km (75.52 mi) long Kotri-Lakhi Shah Sadar section on the West Bank of River Indus was opened.

October 27, 1878: •

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342.22 km (211.25 mi) mainline section south of Lodhran up to km 506.75 (mile 312.81) which falls between the stations of Sangi and Pano Akil was inaugurated.

October 1, 1878:

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The Empress Bridge over Sutlej at Adamwahan was officially opened by Sir Andrew Clark, the Public Works Minister. A telegram arrived on the opening day from the Queen of England, congratulating the Government of India on the completion of the bridge and signifying a wish that the bridge should be named ‘The Empress’.

114.17 km (70.48 mi) long Lakhi Shah Sadar - Radhan section on the West bank of River Indus was opened.

1878: •

The Historic Indus Steam Flotilla Service stopped this year after the Railways rendered this service ineffective. Trains now ran between Karachi and Sukkur on West bank of Indus and from Rohri to Calcutta. A ferry shuttled to and fro

between Sukkur and Rohri transporting wagons and passengers across the Indus. This ferry continued till 1889 when Lansdowne Bridge over Indus was inaugurated. (63)

September 18, 1879: •

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September 21, 1879: •

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First rails were laid on Ruk - Sibi route

December 1879: •

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Government of India sanctioned a rail track across the 'pat' or Kachhi plains and work started on Ruk (Habib Kot) to Sibi Rail track

October 6, 1879: •

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Telegraphic orders reached the officers selected to build the Kandahar Railway.

September 1879: •

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The Viceroy’s council decided on the construction of a fair-weather line of railway to the Bolan Pass. Previously it was always stressed that this line should be kept open at all times and seasons. The change of outlook was the effect of Anglo-Afghan war.

The work on Ruk-Sibi line progressed by 80.6 km (49.75 miles) in twenty-nine working days

1879: •

A reconnaissance survey was done in Khyber with a view to lay railways.

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John Brunton devised a special grooved bridge rail of inverted U-shape for four foot gauge horse to be later used in the tramways in Karachi.

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Guilford Molesworth suggested building a bridge over Indus at Sukkur as a three-hinge arch.

January 1, 1880: •

4 km (2.5 miles) of track was laid between Ruk-Sibi in eight hours on this day.

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24.3 km (15 mi) section between Jhelum and Ratial was opened.

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January 13, 1880: •

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News appeared in the Morning Post announcing the construction of railways in Khyber and Bolan: “After three-and-twenty years of apathy the necessity has been realized, and now these railways are being constructed”.

April 10, 1880: •

9.65 km (5.96 mi) Meter Gauge section was opened between Haria and Malakwal.

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14.14 km (8.73mi) Meter Gauge section was opened between Malakwal and Miani (towards Bhera)

May 2, 1880: •

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Work started on laying the piers of a rail bridge over Indus at Attock.

Mach 27, 1880: •

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17 km (10.5 mi) Meter Gauge section was opened between Mandi Bahauddin and Haria.

February 1880: •

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First railway engine drove into Sibi. A record 133 mile track had been laid in 101 days between Ruk and Sibi.

February 1, 1880: •

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A record of fastest track laying rate was achieved with a mile (1.62 km) track laid in two hours.

January 14, 1880: •

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46.17 km (28.5 mi) Meter Gauge section was opened between Lala Musa and Mandi Bahauddin.

KM 36.91 (MI 22.79) near Habib Kot to Sibi was officially opened. The length of track was 208.21 km (128.53 mi). Some track was laid from Habib Kot to Ruk too. All in all, a record 215 km length of the track was laid in 101 days by the 'Kandahar State Railway'.

October 1, 1880: •

90.72 km (56 mi) section between Ratial and Rawalpindi was opened.

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October 1880: •

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1880: •

Work on the railways through Bolan Pass resumed in 1880, when the broad guage line was extended 31 km (19 miles) to the west of Sibi through the Kundilani Gorge to Pirchowki at the mouth of the Bolan Pass. Rindli, 27 km (17 miles) from Sibi, was used as the terminus. The Battle of 'Maiwind' in 1880 brought the work on track beyond Pirchowki to a standstill. And changes in the ministry caused the work to be abandoned until 1883.

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Victor Belay, a British engineer prepares a plan to lay a Railway Track through the famous Khyber Pass.

January 1, 1881: •

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26.7 km (16.47 mi) long Jand - Basal section was opened.

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8.9 km (5.5 mi) long Jand - Khushalgarh section was opened as Narrow Gauge. Khushalgarh is located on west bank of River Indus and didn't have a railway station

1881: Karachi’s Municipal Secretary and Engineer, Mr. James Strachan conceived the idea of Karachi Tramway around this year and Mr Edward Mathews, of London tendered for the construction of the line in 1881. (also see 1883)

February 2, 1882: •

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75.8 km (46.79 mi) long Golra - Basal section was opened.

April 16, 1881:

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72.81 km (45.51 mi) long section from Rawalpindi to KM 1572 (MI 982.63) near Lawrencepur (now called Faqirabad) is opened.

April 1, 1881: •

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Girders for the bridge over Indus, started arriving at the bridge construction site at Attock.

14.2 km (8.77 mi) long Miani to Bhera section was opened as Meter Gauge.

May 1, 1882:

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May 1, 1882: •

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3.88 km (2.4 mi) section between Peshawar City and Peshawar Cant was opened.

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10.23 km (6.32 mi) Chalisa to Khewra section was opened as Meter Gauge.

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3.46 km (2.14 mi) Meter gauge section was opened. This section was later closed for public traffic and was used as a siding. The whole Chalisa-KhewraDandot section was later converted to Broad Gauge.

March 3, 1883:

An earthquake shook the girders of newly constructed rail bridge over Indus at Attock so violently that they were displaced one inch out of position on the top of the trestles.

April 15, 1883: •

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Last span of Rail Bridge over Indus at Attock was closed.

March 31, 1883: •

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Golra Sharif junction Station building was completed.

January 1, 1883:

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Some diversions were abolished near Domeli on Jhelum Rawalpindi section and track reopened.

1882: •

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First alignment of Sibi-Quetta section was opened. This was washed away in floods.

May 8, 1882: •

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65 km (40.86 mi) long Khairabad Kund - Peshawar City section was opened. This whole track lies on West Bank of River Indus.

26.79 km (16.54 mi) long Raiwind - Kasur section was opened.

May 5, 1883:

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May 31, 1883: •

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15.3 km track from Kasur to Ganda Singhwala was opened.

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Work started on the Sibi - Khost - Harnai - Bostan section of the track.

1883:

Work starts on the construction of Karachi Tramway.

1884: •

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42.7 km (26.36 mi) long Wazirabad - Sialkot section was opened.

October 1884: •

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Detailed plan for Karachi Tramway is made and settled. Permission is obtained from the Government for the use of steam powered trams in Karachi.

January 1, 1884: •

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4.34 km (2.68 mi) section between Attock Bridge and Khairabad Kund was opened. This section was constructed as part of the Punjab Northern State Railway, which also included a double tier bridge over River Indus at Attock.

June 10, 1883:

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First Locomotive passes over the newly constructed rail bridge at Attock. The bridge was to be formally inaugurated later that month.

Work on Sibi-Khost-Harnai section called 'Harnai Military Road' continued intermittently till July 1884, when the work was recommenced in earnest.

1885: •

In 1885 it was decided to lay rapidly a temporary surface broad guage line through the Bolan Pass in the bed of the river Bolan from Rindli onwards up to Hirok, 1394 m (4600 ft) above sea level and 81 km (50 miles) from Rindli. The work was pushed through in spite of an out break of cholera epidemic. At the same time a temporary meter gauge line, about 14.5km (9 miles) long, was laid through the upper Bolan above Hirok, and so was a permanent broad gauge line from Kolpur (known as Kotal Darwaza at that time ) to Quetta. Kolpur is located at an altitude of 1788 m (5900 ft) where as Quetta is at an altitude of 1667 m (5500 ft). The meter gauge line had grades of 1 in 23 and curve of 200 feet radius. Extensive arrangements were made for the trans-shipment of traffic from broad to meter gauge at Hirok and back to broad gauge again at Kolpur.

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The Scinde, Punjab and Delhi railway was purchased by the Secretary of State for India.

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Lodhran Jn Railway Station is established

April 20, 1885: •

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1885: •

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278 km section of Lala Musa - Sargodha - Kundian was reopened as Broad gauge after conversion from Meter Gauge.

March 1886: •

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The North Western State Railway (NWSR) was formed in January 1886, an amalgam of Scinde, Punjab and Delhi Railway (SPDR) and the other state railways - the Indus Valley, the Punjab Northern, inclusive of Sind Sagar eastern section, and the Kandahar or Sind-Pishin southern section. The name of NWSR was later changed to NWR (North Western Railway). After Pakistan's independence in 1947, most of the lines served by NWR came under Pakistan's control.

February 10, 1886: •

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Suukur Channel of River Indus was bridged as part of the Lansdowne bridge construction. There were two channels in the river viz., Rohri channel and Sukkur Channel with an island called Bakkhar in between.

January 1, 1886: •

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Steam Tramway was opened in Karachi.

By the end of March 1886, the NWR routes traversed 2903 km (1792 mi).

1886: •

Steam tramway of Karachi got replaced by horse-drawn tramway.

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August 1886: •

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January 22, 1887: •

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29 km long Malakwal - Bhera section was reopened as Broad gauge after conversion from Meter Gauge.

March 20, 1887: •

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Steel work to be used in the construction of Lansdowne Bridge started arriving at the construction site in Sukkur and Rohri.

March 15, 1887: •

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194.44 km (120.03) long section between Chenab West Bank and Bhakkar was opened.

Jan-March 1887: •

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Railway Line to Quetta through Bolan Pass was completed.

119.52 km (73.78 mi) long Sibi to Sharigh section was completed. This was part of the track connecting Sibi to Quetta via Harnai and Bostan.

August 15, 1887: •

181.82 km (112.24 mi) long Malakwal - Kundian section was opened.

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102.14 km (63.05 mi) long Bhakkar - Kundian section was opened.

August 21, 1887: •

33.1 km (20.44 mi) long Quetta to Bostan section was opened.

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21.54 km (13.3 mi) long Shahrigh - Zardalu section was opened.

August 28, 1887:

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January 25, 1888: •

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The 114.21 km (70.5 mi) section between Ratial and Rawalpindi was regraded from 1-in-50 to 1-in-100. The work continued till 1897.

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Work continued on Bostan - Chaman Railway Line. Work also started on the Khojak Tunnel.

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Work was started on a high level line between Hirok and Kolpur through Dozan Gorge in the Bolan Pass to replace the meter gauge line.

January 1, 1889:

The Lansdowne Bridge over Indus connecting Rohri and Sukkur was inaugurated. The completion of this bridge connects Karachi with Peshawar by rail.

June 16, 1889: •

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The newly constructed (but not yet inaugurated) Lansdowne Bridge over Indus at Sukkur was tested. A train used coupled ‘L’ class locomotives with a gross load of 786 tons. Crossing the bridge at 55kmph (35 mph) the train caused a deflection of 3.5 inches at the centre of the 820-ft span.

March 25, 1889: •

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4.1 km (2.53 mi) long section opened between Sher Shah and Chenab East Bank.

March 19, 1889: •

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62.58 km (38.63 mi) long Bostan to Kila Abdullah section was opened.

1888:

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Rail traffic started between Sibi and Quetta via Khost and Harnai. This section also includes construction of the famous 'Margaret Louise Bridge' at Chappar Rift. The bridge was inaugurated by the Duchess of Connaught.

4.95 km (3.06 mi) long Kimari to Karachi City track via East wharf was completed.

1889: •

The Railway line through the Bolan Pass got washed away in floods.

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February 1, 1890: •

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Many kilometers of railway line through Bolan Pass got washed away in floods for the second consecutive year.

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The subject of laying railways through Khyber Pass was reopened as the railhead had reached Peshawar Cantt, and Captain JRL Macdonald made a survey following the gorge of the Kabul River.

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Base of the Dadu Railway Station is built.

1890-91: Widespread rains in Baluchistan made the Sibi-Harnai-Quetta route hazardous and unreliable. Orders were thus issued for the construction of the Mushkaf Bolan Railway

November 1, 1891: •

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14.4 km (8.89 mi) long section between Sialkot and Suchetgarh was opened. This track was part of the Jammu and Kashmir Railway and connected Sialkot with Jammu. A part of it now falls in Pakistan. The Border point is located 14.82 km from Sialkot and 0.4 km (0.26 mi) from Suchetgarh.

1890:

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Bridge over River Chenab was inaugurated connecting Chenab East Bank and Chenab West Bank. The length of section opened on this date was 3.53 km (2.18 mi).

March 15, 1890: •

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1.07 km (0.66 mi) long realignment was done between Rohri and Pano Akil near KM 481.95 (MI 297.5).

Improvements in river training made it possible to reduce the number of spans in the Alexandra bridge over Chenab from sixty-four to twenty-eight. The work was completed on this day.

December 1891: •

The floods settled the fate of the temporary lines through the Bolan Pass. Orders were given for the construction of an all season Mushkaf - Bolan Railway, and the work was entrusted to Mr. James Ramsay. The Mushkaf Valley approached the Bolan-Pass some 16 km (10 miles) or so above the troublesome Kundilani Gorge and provided a shortcut as well as an all-season route.

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1891: •

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January 1, 1892: •

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49.15 km (30.34 mi) long Kundian to Daud Khel section was opened.

•

9.28 km (5.73 mi) long Daud Khel to Mari Indus section was opened.

August 18, 1892:

•

37.5 km (23.13 mi) long track between Ab-i-Gum and Kolpur was made dual.

•

60.53 km (37.37 mi) long track between Gulistan and Chaman was made dual.

August 15, 1895:

44.27 km (27.33 mi) long track between Lyallpur (now called Faisalabad) and Sangla Hill was opened.

November 15, 1896: •

(137)

50.25 km (31.02 mi) long track between Sangla Hill and Hafizabad was opened.

February 15, 1896: •

(136)

60.65 km (37.44 mi) long track between Wazirabad and Hafizabad was opened.

January 1, 1896: •

(135)

89 km (54.97 mi) long Hyderabad-Mirpur Khas-Jamrao-Shadipalli section was opened. This section was built as Broad Gauge. (Also see October 20, 1900 and 1960-65)

September 20, 1892:

• (134)

47.3 km (29.2 mi) long Killa Abdullah to Chaman section was opened.

March 15, 1892:

•

(132)

Khojak tunnel was completed

292.73 km (180.7 mi) long Detha -TandoAdam -Nawabshah -Padidan -Mahrabpur -Rohri section is opened.

March 31, 1897:

•

(138)

April 15, 1897: •

(139)

(144)

Samasata Jn - Bahawalnagar Jn - Mandi Sadiq Ganj Jn (then called McLeod Ganj Road Jn) - Amruka - Qasimwala - Border Point at KM 251.2 (MI 155.06) section was opened. This section was part of the track connecting to Samasata to Abohar (India). 251.2 km of this section now fall in Pakistan. Qasimwala is the last town on Pakistan side and Hindu Malkot is the first city on Indian side.

May 3, 1898: •

(143)

4.95 km (3.06 mi) long Kimari to Karachi City track via East wharf was made dual.

November 10, 1897: •

(142)

33.66 km (20.78 mi) long track between Karachi Cantt and Pipri (now called Bin Qasim) got dual.

June 30, 1897 •

(141)

The Mushkaf - Bolan Railway was opened to traffic and became the principal route to Quetta. This alignment is still in use.

June 20, 1897: •

(140)

The re-graded 1-in-100 Rawalpindi-Ratial section is opened. The new length of the section became 123.71 km (76.37 mi) as compared to earlier 114.21 km (70.5 mi) long 1-in-50 grade track.

The track between Pipri (now called Bin Qasim) and Kotri got made dual and opened for rail traffic. This completed the dual track between Karachi City and Kotri.

1898: •

Main building of Karachi Cantt Railway Station was completed.

•

A survey is made in Khyber to lay a meter gauge line between Peshawar and Landi Kotal.

April 1, 1899: •

88.9 km (54.88 mi) long Daud Khel - Jand section was opened.

(145)

•

31.3 km (19.33 mi) long Basal - Campbellpur (now called Attock City) section was opened.

•

18.61 km (11.49 mi) long section between KM 1590 (MI 982.63) which falls between Sanjwal and Attock City to Rumian section was opened.

June 22, 1899: •

(146)

April 4, 1900: •

(147)

(151)

The Government of Jodhpur State offered to provide a through meter gauge line westwards into Sindh provided that the Hyderabad-Mirpur Khas - Shadipalli section was converted to meter gauge to allow the whole line to be worked as one. This was accepted and it was converted and opened as meter gauge on this date.

December 22, 1900: •

(150)

8.56 km (5.29 mi) long section between Kotri and Hyderabad was opened. It also included a bridge over the Indus at Gidu.

October 20, 1900: •

(149)

92.84 km (57.31 mi) long Khanewal - Toba Tek Singh section was opened.

May 25, 1900: •

(148)

78.2 km (48.28 mi) long section between Toba Tek Singh and Lyallpur (now called Faisalabad) was opened.

111.8 km (69 mi) long Shadipalli-Khokhropar to Indian Border Meter Gauge track was completed. This track connected Hyderabad to Barmer (India). The border point is located at KM 201 (MI 124.08)

January 1, 1901: •

18 km (11.12 mi) track between Peshawar Cantt and Jamrud was completed

•

37.87 km (23.38 mi) long Narrow Gauge Nowshera Jn - Takht-i-Bhai section was opened.

•

27.81 km (17.17 mi) long Narrow Gauge Takht-i-Bhai to Durgai section was opened.

May 25, 1902:

•

(152)

(153)

April 1, 1903: •

75 km (46.33 mi) long Malakwal - Sargodha section was opened.

•

102.35 km (63.18 mi) long Kohat Cantt - Thal section Narrow Gauge line was opened.

August 15, 1904: •

(154)

A start was made to construct Khyber Railway, from a place called Kacha Garhi between Peshawar and Jamrud, and to follow the Kabul river gorge and then turning west up the Loi Shilman valley.

January 15, 1906: •

(159)

Petrol tramway inaugurated in Karachi

1905 •

(158)

134.54 km (83.05 mi) long Spezand - Nushki section was opened.

March 23, 1905: •

(157)

Riwaz Bridge was constructed on River Chenab near the town of Chund Bhurwana. This is a single lane-cum-rail bridge and is 200 feet in span and has 11 support pillars.

November 15, 1905: •

(156)

100 km (61.75 mi) long Hyderabad-Badin section was opened. The line was later dismantled during World War I. It was later rebuilt and opened in 1922. An extension of this line across or around the Rann of Cutch, to meet the Bombay Baroda and Central India Railway and to afford through communication without break of gauge from Sindh to Bombay, was considered but never materialized.

1904: •

(155)

51.84 km (32 miles) section of Khushal Garh - Kohat Cant Narrow Gauge line was opened

16.2 km (10 mi) section between Lahore and Wagah Border was made dual.

February 10, 1906: •

26.9 km (16.6 mi) long McLeod Ganj Road (now called Mandi Sadiq Ganj) to Amruka to Border Point section was opened. It was built as part of the track

connecting Mandi Sadiq Ganj to Fazilka (India). 26.9 km portion of the track now remains in Pakistan. (160)

May 14, 1906: •

(161)

April 2, 1907: •

(162)

(167)

115.55 km (71.33 mi) long Rohri to Reti section was made dual.

April 1, 1909: •

91.4 km (56.42 mi) long Khanewal - Lodhran section (via chord) was made dual.

•

Samasata - Adamwahan Bridge section was made dual.

•

8.47 km (5.23 mi) long Adamwahan - Lodhran section was made dual.

April 18, 1909: •

(168)

Jand Jn to Kohat section is reopened as Broad Gauge after conversion from Narrow Gauge.

June 6, 1908: •

(166)

91.16 km (56.27 mi) long Shahdara Bagh - Sangla Hill section was opened.

January 5, 1908: •

(165)

100.71 km (62.17 mi) long Reti - Khanpur section was made dual.

April 10, 1907: •

(164)

13.93 km (8.6 mi) long Khanpur - Samasata section was made dual.

April 3, 1907: •

(163)

167.18 km (103.2 mi) long Shorkot Road (now called Shorkot Cant) to Sargodha section was opened.

80.93 km (49.96 mi) long Jamrao - Jhudo section was opened. This section is meter gauge.

October 18, 1909: •

2.75 km (1.7 mi) long Lahore - Badami Bagh section was made dual.

(169)

November 18, 1909: •

(170)

(171)

1909: •

Horse drawn tramway of Karachi got shut down and was replaced by Petrol driven trams. Petrol trams had a capacity of 46 passengers each and could run up to speeds of 18 mph. Tracks were re laid for petrol driven trams.

•

An alliance between Afghanistan and Russia slowed down the work on Khyber Railway west of Jamrud, and in 1909, 20 miles of permanent way and bridges were reversed and the whole scheme was abandoned.

January 8, 1910: •

(172)

(176)

345.7 km (213.4 mi) long Lodhran - Kasur section was opened. This section was later dismantled during the World War I, reconstructed and opened again between 1923 and 1924.

1910: •

Building of Dadu Railway station is partially constructed.

•

Floor of Lansdowne Bridge was strengthened to handle increasing train loads.

May 2, 1911: •

(177)

3.09 km (1.91 mi) long Kasur - Kasur Tehsil section was opened. This section used to go inside India. 5.28 km (3.26 mi) long track from Kasur Tehsil to the border point is now dismantled.

July 6, 1910: •

(175)

7.29 km (4.5 mi) long Hyderabad - Detha section was opened.

April 4 1910: •

(174)

4.24 km (2.62 mi) long Badami Bagh - Shahdara Bagh section was made dual.

March 28, 1910: •

(173)

79.5 km (49.08 mi) long Jaranwala - Qila Sheikhupura section was opened.

142.15 km (87.75 mi) long Shorkot Rd (now called Shorkot Cantt jn) to Jaranwala section was opened.

July 2, 1911:

•

(178)

January 1, 1912: •

(179)

(186)

55.48 km (34.25 mi) long Taxila Cantt Jn to Havelian section was opened.

1913 •

(185)

142.18 km (87.77 mi) long Mari Indus to Bannu NG line was opened as part of the 'Trans-Indus Railway' which later became 'North Western Railway'.

November 7, 1913: •

(184)

6 km (3.71 mi) long Hyderabad - Gidu section was made dual.

June 15, 1913: •

(183)

40.2 km (24.82 mi) long Lahore - Raiwind section was made dual.

April 1, 1913: •

(182)

Janvari to Rohri section was dualized. Janvari doesn't have station. It is located between Begmanji and Rohri station.

July 16, 1912: •

(181)

80 km (49.43 mi) long Mirpur Khas to Khadro section was opened as MG.

June 21, 1912: •

(180)

The 34.5 km (21.3 mi) long Khanpur to Chachran section opened as a BG 'Worked Line'. This line was worked by Khanpur-Chachran Railway and fell under the state of 'Bahawalpur Darbar'.

By the end of 1913, the number of Petrol run trams in Karachi was 37.

May 20, 1914: •

Begmanji to Janvari section was dualized. Janvari is located between Begmanji and Rohri and does not have a station.

•

Khairo to Chahi section was dualized. Both Khairo and Chahi don't have Railway stations. (Also see the date November 27, 1919 below)

December 1, 1914:

•

(187)

May 1, 1915: •

(188)

17.62 km (10.88 mi) long Kila Sobha Singh - Narowal section was opened.

January 15, 1916: •

(195)

32 British soldiers died of heat stroke on a troop train in Sindh desert. The shade temperature that afternoon is said to have reached 126 degrees F. The victims had newly arrived from England and no proper advice was given to them as to the effects of the mid-day sun. Subsequently fans and ice was made obligatory in troop trains crossing the Sindh desert in summer.

January 10, 1916: •

(194)

44.24 km (27.31 mi) long Sialkot - Kila Sobha Singh section was opened.

1915: •

(193)

13 km (8.02 mi) long Chak Naurang - Chakwal section was opened.

November 10, 1915: •

(192)

73.53 km (45.39 mi) long Hyderabad - Shahdadpur section was opened.

September 1, 1915: •

(191)

6.88 km (4.25 mi) long Dhudial - Chak Naurang section was opened.

July 1, 1915: •

(190)

44.03 km (27.18 mi) long Mandra - Dhudial section was opened.

June 1, 1915: •

(189)

122km long Jacaboabd Jn to Kashmore Narrow Gauge was opened. It was later converted to BG and reopened on October 12, 1956.

11.22 km (6.93 mi) long Chakwal - Bhaun section was opened.

May 1, 1916: •

75.28 km (46.47 mi) long Laki Marwat - Tank section was opened as NG.

(196)

September 1916: •

(197)

1916: •

(198)

(200)

(201)

•

120.13 km (74.16 mi) long Kot Laloo-Khairo-Chahi section was made dual. Khairo does not have a Railway Station. (Also see the date May 20, 1914 above)

•

42.23 km (26.07 mi) long Shahdadpur - Nawabshah section was made dual.

1919: •

Colonel (later Sir Gordon) G.R. Hearn was deputed to report on the best route by which rail communication could be made to the Frontier through Khyber Pass. In one brief season, he destroyed the myth of impossibility and demonstrated by a masterly survey that broad-gauge line could be laid up over and down the other side of the Khyber Pass.

•

The Alexandra Bridge over Chenab was shortened further from twenty-eight spans down to 17 spans, which is also its present length. (Also see November 1, 1891)

February 14, 1920: 14.11 km (8.71 mi) long Rawalpindi - Golra section was made dual.

February 25, 1920: •

(203)

186.15 km (114.91mi) long Nushki to Dalbandin section was opened

November 27, 1919:

• (202)

Work Started on Khanai - Muslim Bagh Narrow Gauge track

February 1, 1917: •

(199)

Work started on the Nushki-Dalbandin section of Railway under the charge of Mr. P.C. Young as Engineer-in-Chief.

50.69 km (31.29 mi) long Nawabshah - Kot Laloo section was made dual.

March 1920: •

A 73 km (45 mi) long line of 2’0” gauge was laid during the years 1914-1918 connecting Dera Ismail Khan to Kalabagh-Bannu narrow gauge branch. This track was laid as part of the military strategy in the area after the First World

War. The track followed an existing road but when more road transport became available, the line was uprooted in Sept 1928. (204)

October 1, 1920: •

(205)

1920: •

(206)

(211)

One section of Nowshera-Durgai branch line was converted from NG to BG and opened.

January 9, 1922 •

(210)

Chahi to Begmanji section on Mainline was made dual. Chahi does not have a station. It is located between Begmanji and Khairpur. The length of track that was made dual between Chahi-Begmanji-Janvari was 13.42 km (8.29 km). Begmanji- Janvari section was made dual and opened on May 20, 1914.

September 26, 1921: •

(209)

74.7 km (46.12 mi) long Khanai to Hindubagh (now called Muslimbagh) Narrow gauge track was completed

January 20, 1921: •

(208)

It was decided to construct a 5'6" broad gauge railway from Jamrud to Landi Kotal. The alignment was chosen by Col. G.R. Hearns.

January 1, 1921 •

(207)

306.97 km (189.49 mi) long Dalbandin - Mirjawa section was opened.

A section of Hyderabad-Badin track is re-laid and opened after it was dismantled during World War I.

March 13, 1922 •

Complete 98 km long Nowshera Jn - Durgai section was opened as BG after conversion from NG

•

Complete 100 km section of re-laid Hyderabad-Badin track is reopened.

October 1, 1922: •

84.4 km (52.1 mi) long Mirjawa - Duzdap (now called Zahidan) section was opened.

(212)

1922: •

(213)

March 15, 1923: •

(214)

Mrs. Victor Belay, wife of the British engineer entrusted with the construction of Khyber Railway drove down first train through Khyber Agency. When the track was laid, the locals of the Khyber Agency did not allow the train to move on it. However, knowing the traditional respect the Pathans have for women, Victory Belay, a asked his wife to drive the first train in the Khyber Agency. It has been reported that she drew long hair so that she could be identified as a women from a distance.

April 3, 1926: •

(219)

33.53 km (20.7 mi) of Jamrud - Landi Kotal section was completed and opened for rail traffic. The opening ceremony was performed by Sir Charles Innes, acting on behalf of the viceroy.

November 4, 1925: •

(218)

A terrible smash happened in 1924 when a goods train was running between Samasatta and Rohri. The train had just entered upon a bridge of 40-foot plate girder spans near Pano Akil when the boiler exploded. The engine was an HG 28-0.

November 3, 1925 •

(217)

64.92 Km (40.08 mi) long Mailsi - Lodhran section was reconstructed and opened after it was dismantled during the World War I.

1924 •

(216)

140.6 Km (86.8 mi) long Kasur - Pakpattan section was reconstructed and opened after it was dismantled during the World War I.

March 18, 1924: •

(215)

136 km long Larkana to Jacobabad via Silra Shahdadkot Narrow Gauge track was opened.

Peshawar - Landi Kotal section was extended by 2 km to Landi Khana and opened for rail traffic.

December 21, 1926 •

79.08 km (48.82 mi) long Shahdara Bagh Jn - Narowal section was opened.

(220)

(221)

1926: •

River training work started at Sutlej near Adamwahan to reduce the bridge length to half during future reconstruction (1929)

•

Work started on the reconstruction of bridge over Indus at Attock.

May 2, 1927 •

(222)

December 21, 1927: •

(223)

(224)

•

During reconstruction of rail bridge over Indus at Attock it was discovered that half of the legs of bridge trestle rested on an overhang of a decaying rock. The rock was shored up with stout timbers as a temporary measure. Later, the over hanging rock was cut away and replaced with concrete heavily reinforced with rails (more than 3 km of them) to form the new foundation.

•

A new is opened over Sutlej between Hussainiwala (now Pakistan) and Gundersinghwala (now India). The older bridge which was called ‘Kaiser-iHind’ bridge is taken down

April 4, 1928: The 65.43 km (40.39 mi) long Bahawalnagar to Faqirwali section opened as a 'Worked Line'. This line was worked by the Bahawalnagar - Fort Abbas railway that fell under the state of Bahawalpur Darbar.

January 29, 1928 •

(226)

9.3 km (5.74 mi) long Narowal - Jassar section was opened. This section was part of the Narowal - Amritsar (India) track. The 8.05 km (4.97 mi) track from Jassar up to the border point is now disconnected.

1927:

•

(225)

62.93 km (38.85 mi) long Hindubagh (now called Muslimbagh) to Kila Saifullah section of NG line was opened.

33.21 km (20.5 mi) long track from Chak-Jhumra to KM 33.2 (Mile 20.5) which lies between Chiniot and Rabwah (now called Chenab Nagar) was opened.

August 29, 1928: •

4.65 km (2.87 mi) long Rawalpindi - Chak Lala section was made dual.

(227)

September 1928 •

(228)

November 8, 1928: •

(229)

(230)

•

An 1869 built, L Class 4-6-0 ‘Eagle’ locomotive, of the SPDR was put on display at the Moghalpura workshops.

•

Building of Mirpur Khas Station is erected.

January 15, 1929

35.36 km (21.83 mi) long section between KM 33.2 (M 20.5) from Chak Jhumra to Hundewali (now called Shahinabad) was opened.

May 20, 1930: •

(235)

Passenger service started on Kila Saifullah - Zhob NG section.

October 1, 1929: •

(234)

45.21 km (27.91 mi) long Sargodha - Khushab section was opened. This section also includes construction of ‘De Montmorency’ bridge over river Jhelum. This bridge used all the forty0eight girders from the twenty-four spans of an older ‘Kaiser-i-Hind’ bridge which was torn down in 1927. (see 1927)

July 15, 1929: •

(233)

143.62 km (88.66 mi) long Kila Saifullah to Fort Sandeman (now called Zhob) section of NG line was opened. Only goods traffic started on this section on this date. Passenger service started on July 15, 1929.

March 20, 1929: •

(232)

36.75 km (22.69 mi) long Faqirwali to Fort Abbas section was opened as a 'Worked Line'. This line was worked by the Bahawalnagar - Fort Abbas railway that fell under the state of Bahawalpur Darbar.

1928:

•

(231)

The 73 km long Tank-Dera Ismail Khan track is dismantled. Also see March 1920 above.

70.9 km (43.77 mi) long Padidan - Tharushah - Mahrabpur section was opened.

October 20, 1930:

•

(236)

July 10, 1931: •

(237)

(238)

•

87.56 km (54.05 mi) long Tando Adam - Sakrand - Nawabshah section was opened.

•

107.24 km (66.7 mi) long Sakrand - Tharushah section was opened.

December 15, 1932:

(243)

An earthquake in Baluchistan did widespread damage to life and property including the railways.

1935: •

(242)

103.85 km (64.11 mi) long meter gauge section between Jhudo and Pithoro was opened.

May 31, 1935: •

(241)

Landi Kotal to Landi Khana section of railway got closed down at the insistence of Afghan Government.

June 1, 1935: •

(240)

The Nok Kundi-Zahidan section of the 'Nushki Extension Railway' got closed down.

December 10, 1931:

• (239)

5.67 km (3.5 mi) long section between Adamwahan Bridge and Adamwahan was made dual.

NWR procured two 1300hp diesel-electric locos from Armstrong-Whitworth with the intention of using them for a new Bombay-Karachi route. They were deployed on the Karachi-Lahore mail route, but then were withdrawn soon afterwards, having manifested many problems as they were not designed for local conditions.

November 20, 1939: •

49.57 km (30.6 mi) long Khadro - Nawabshah meter gauge section was opened.

•

15.84 km (9.78 mi) long Khanai to Bostan Jn NG was opened.

1939:

•

(244)

1939-1945: •

(245)

(246)

•

136.04 km (83.98 mi) Larkana - Silra Shahdadkot - Jacobadabad section opened as Broad Gauge.

•

Originally the Larkana - Silra Shahdadkot - Budapur was a Narrow Gauge line. From Larkana to Silra Shahdadkot was converted to BG to join Jacobabad on the other end to complete the Sindh Right Bank Feeder Railway, which now measures as 136 km (83.98 mi). The NG section from Silra Shahdadkot to Budapur was dismantled. Budapur is located near Kotri on Kotri - Larkana section.

May 16, 1942:

The Harnai - Bostan route got closed after a flash flood destroyed section of the track through Chappar Rift.

1942: •

(250)

The Nok Kundi - Zahidan section of the 'Nushki Extension Railway' got reopened

July 10, 1942: •

(249)

24 passengers were killed and 32 injured when 7 up Karachi-Lahore Mail was wrecked between Oderolal and Tando Adam stations. The XC pacific engine and six bogie coaches were derailed.

June 1, 1942: •

(248)

A track used to connect Fort Abbas to Samasata Jn at now closed 'Kut-al-Imara' station. This section as dismantled during the World War II.

July 29, 1940:

•

(247)

Lansdowne Bridge over Indus at Sukkur was strengthened by removing 200 tons of dead-weight so that 8 coupled engines with seventeen ton axles could be allowed to work trains across the bridge.

In the Eastern Bengal area that later became East Pakistan, the Eastern Bengal Railway and the Assam Bengal railway were merged to form the 'Bengal and Assam Railway'.

1943:

(251)

•

It was decided that the railway line between Zardalu and Bostan which carried only 1 train a week should be closed down. The decision was carried out in the same year and the track was uprooted.

•

A heavily loaded fruit train got derailed in Bolan Pass. Losing control in 1 in 25 gradient, the driver, far from being able to stop to sign the book at the points, entered the catch siding above Mach at such speed that the curved track burst asunder wrecking the whole train.

May 1944: •

(252)

April 1, 1945: •

(253)

(254)

The Jacobabad - Kashmore Worked line operated by 'Jacobabad Kashmore Railway' was bought by the Government for Rupees 2,987,115-13-4.

April 16, 1946: •

8 km (4.95 mi) long Ruk - Habib Kot section was opened.

•

24.56 km (15.16 mi) long section from KM 8.3 (M5.124) - Habib Kot - to KM 32.87 (M20.29) was opened.

•

24.8 (15.31 mi) long realignment from KM 481.95/R (297.5/R mi) to end of Rohri to Pano Akil KM 506.75 (M 312.81) was opened.

April 1, 1947: •

(255)

The first of a batch of 21 Canadian War Design (CWD) 2-8-2 locomotives arrived in Karachi and ran its trails on the NWR in May 1944.

The Mandra - Bhaun Worked line operated by 'Mandra-Bhaun Railway' was bought by the Government for Rs 3,401,337.

August 14, 1947: •

Pakistan achieved Independence. Most of the lines that were part of NWR system came under Pakistan's control. 8178 km (5048 miles) track came to Pakistan territory, while 2992 km (1,847 miles) went to India. The railways operating in Pakistan was still being called 'North Western Railway'.

•

The boundary between Pakistan and India crossed at mile 320.5 between Atari and Wagah; it cuts the Kasur-Ferozepur line at mile 25.98, a point on the right bank of the Sutlej between Husainiwala(Pakistan) and Gandasinghurala(India); and it cuts across the Amritsar-Narowal line three times at miles 34.11, 34.64 and 34.73 near Dera Baba Nanak (India). The Samasata-bhatinda line is crossed

by the international boundary at mile 155.06 between Hindumal Kote (India) and Qasamwala (Pakistan). (256)

March 1948: • Collectorate of Customs was set up at Lahore Station to provide customs facility on travel to/from India.

(257)

1948: •

(258)

1950: •

(259)

First major accident happened after Pakistan independence in this month. Karachi Express drove into an oil train stationed at Gambar (now Okara Cantt) Railway Station.

October 12, 1956: •

(264)

Railway Institute at Moghalpura is established.

September 1957: •

(263)

4.13 km long track from Ganda Singhwala to Indian border, which was removed earlier is re-laid.

1956 •

(262)

27.13 km (16.75 mi) long Charsadda to Mardan Jn section was opened.

June 3, 1955: •

(261)

Record Floods hit Pakistan. At one point 27 miles (44km) of track between Lodhran Jn and Kasur Jn gets submerged.

August 25, 1954: •

(260)

The number of trains running between Quetta and Ahmedwal were increased to 3 every week in each direction.

122.34 km (75.52 mi) long Jacobabad Junction to Kashmore section was converted to Broad Gauge.

1958: •

By 1958, 27.8 % of the total train-mileage on PWR was being operated by diesel-electric traction. 120 Diesel-Electric locomotives were in use, supplied by

the American Locomotive Company, the General Motors Corporation, the International General Electric Company, and by Alsthom. (265)

November 11, 1959: •

(266)

December 25, 1959: •

(267)

Hyderabad - Mirpur Khas section was re-gauged and opened as BG from the earlier MG.

1964: •

(273)

The famous arched 'Ayub Railway bridge' is opened between Rohri Junction and Sukkur by the then President of Pakistan, Ayub Khan.

1960-1965: •

(272)

'North Western Railway' becomes 'Pakistan Western Railway' and the 'Bengal and Assam Railway' in East Pakistan became 'Pakistan Eastern Railway'.

May 6, 1962: •

(271)

Work started on the construction of arch of the Ayub Bridge. F.M. Khan, Minister of Railways and Communications, Government of Pakistan laid the foundation stone.

February 1, 1961: •

(270)

By the close of 1959, the total mileage of track in West Pakistan stood at 8630.4 km (5327.41 km).

December 9, 1960: •

(269)

Work starts on the construction of Ayub Bridge over Indus at Sukkur.

1959: •

(268)

Tender submitted by Dorman Long Bridge and Engineering in association with Gammon (Pak) Ltd was accepted to build an arched bridge over Indus at Sukkur.

Work started on building the first phase of Karachi Circular Railway. (Also see 1969)

September 1965:

•

(274)

1965: •

(275)

(278)

Mr. N.A. Qureshi, Chairman of the West Pakistan Railway Board, announced the transfer of the track, its maintenance and manning of stations on the 80 km (50-mile) section between Mirjawa and Zahidan to Iranian authorities.

1968-1969: •

(277)

Taunsa barrage opens on Indus and provides a rail crossing between Sukkur and Kalabagh. The bridge consists of sixty-four 60-foot spans.

1967: •

(276)

Following a war between India and Pakistan, the rail link between the two countries via Khokhrapar-Munabao is closed. The track on Pakistani side between Khokhrapar and the zero-mile border is later uprooted too.

Electrification of 286 km track between Lahore Junction and Khanewal Junction got completed.

1969: •

Karachi Circular Railway was opened for public use after both phases of construction were completed. Before 1969, it was being utilized only by the freight service.

•

In the first phase of construction that started in 1964, the circular railway track was initiated from the Drigh Road Railway Station, located on the main railway line, routed through the urban localities of Liaquatabad, Nazimabad and concluded at the Wazir Mansion Railway Station at Lyari.

•

In the second phase, the track was extended from the Wazir Mansion and connected with the Karachi City Railway Station, located on the main railway line.

•

Work started on Kashmore - Kot Adu Jn Section.

1973: •

306 Km long Kashmore to Kot Adu Jn Section was completed, providing an alternate route between Karachi and Peshawar

•

Railways set up First dry port of Pakistan at Lahore.

•

First proposals of a light rail mass transit system for Karachi surfaced.

(279)

May 1974: •

'Pakistan Western Railway' was renamed 'Pakistan Railway'

(280)

1974: • Pakistan’s second Dry Port is established at Karachi.

(281)

April 30, 1975: •

(282)

July 22, 1976: •

(283)

(285)

•

Dalmia Cement Factory, Industrial Rlwy was closed in Karachi

•

Kohat - Thal NG was closed.

1984:

Bostan to Zhob Narrow Gauge line was closed down.

1986: •

(288)

Pakistan’s third dry-port is established at Quetta

1985: •

(287)

A plan was made for Karachi Mass Transit system that envisaged the development of a circular railway with branch lines into the suburbs like a system of arteries. In addition, there was to be a part-subterranean, part-elevated spine that bisected the circle. This way, Saddar and other residential areas would have been linked to the commercial centers. The plan was later shelved.

1982:

• (286)

'Samjhauta Express' was inaugurated as a daily service between Pakistan and India.

1977: •

(284)

Karachi Tramway got closed down.

Pakistan’s fourth dry port is established at Peshawar.

1988: •

Pakistan’s fifth dry port is established at Multan.

(289)

January 5, 1990: •

(290)

1990: •

(291)

•

Newly renovated railway station of Gujranwala is inaugurated.

March 3, 1997: •

(297)

Head End Power Generation was introduced on PR trains. It ensures proper working of lights and fans during prolonged halts too.

May 15, 1996: •

(296)

The daily service of 'Samjhauta Express' gets suspended for two weeks and resumes as a weekly service

1995: •

(295)

Pakistan Locomotive Factory at Risalpur was put into service in 1993 with the collaboration of Government of Japan at a total cost of Rs.2284.00 million including a foreign exchange component of Rs.1496.00 million. The rated out put of the factory was 2 Diesel Electric Locomotives per month on a single shift basis Train service was stopped on Sindh's feeder lines connecting Mahrabpur Junction to Tando Adam Junction via Moro, Naushahro Feroze and Sakrand Jn.

1994: •

(294)

In an accident at Ghotki station, Tezgam drove into a parked freight train.

1993: •

(293)

Pakistan’s sixth dry port is established at Rawalpindi.

June 7, 1991: •

(292)

Worst accident of Pakistan Railway’s history occurred at Sangi station. Bahauddin Zakari Express drove into an oil special train. Almost 300 people perished in this accident. Ba

6 Down Zulfiqar Express meets an accident at Meer Shah station on LodhranKhanewal route. More than 175 people perished.

October 15, 1998:

•

(298)

April 15, 1999: •

(299)

•

(305)

'Shah Rukne Alam Express', a day train between Karachi Cant and Multan is inaugurated

Dec 31, 2001: •

(304)

In January 2000, PR’s freight wagon inventory stood at 25708.

October 15, 2001: •

(303)

Karachi Circular Railway got closed down.

January, 2000: •

(302)

The Diesel Engine inventory of PR in October 1999 stood at 579. Passenger Coach inventory was at 2029

Dec 15, 1999: •

(301)

A night coach service was introduced between Multan Cant and Lahore which covered the journey in 5 hours.

October, 1999: •

(300)

Faisalabad Express running between Karachi Cant and Faisalabad was converted into daily service instead of alternate day.

'Samjhauta Express' service between Pakistan and India got closed down.

January 25, 2002: •

Karachi City Government proposes a 3-phase track extension plan for KCR. The first phase comprises improvement of the KCR between Drigh Road and City Station via Wazir Mansion, which would include up-gradation of tracks, signaling system, improvement and relocation of stations and miscellaneous advancement works. This phase also calls for an initial train frequency with an interval of every 15 minutes, and provision of rolling stock.

•

The second phase comprises of laying additional spurs in North Karachi, North Nazimabad and other areas.

•

In the third phase, additional tracks would be provided between Landhi and City Station and double tracks would be laid on the entire KCR network.

April 15, 2002:

(306)

•

A new Karachi to Lahore express via Pakpattan is introduced. The name of the train is Fareed Express.

•

Sind Express running between Karachi and Jacobabad via Rohri Jn is discontinued.

April 22, 2002: •

(307)

April 25, 2002: •

(308)

An express train plunged off a railroad bridge at Damboli killing at least 16 people and injuring another 55. Eight cars of the train derailed as the bridge collapsed. The accident cut Quetta off from the rest of the country. The accident occurred at 10 a.m. local time at Damboli, an area 150 kilometers (100 miles) west of Quetta. The train was traveling from Rawalpindi to Quetta.

May 2003: •

(312)

The inauguration run of 41Up/42 Down Karakoram Express happened on this day. The whole train is imported from China and covers the 1211 km KarachiLahore distance in 15 hours and 20 min.

September 16, 2002: •

(311)

Summer Vacation Special was introduced for the first time between Karachi and Lahore.

August 14, 2002: •

(310)

A refurbished steam locomotive is placed as a display at Peshawar Cant Railway Station as part of the centennial celebrations of the NWFP

June 15, 2002: •

(309)

Awam Express gets a refurbished rake today

Work started on track dualization between Lodhran Jn to Khanewal Jn via Multan Cantt. Lodhran Jn to Shujabad dual track is scheduled to finish by March 2005.

June 3, 2003: •

A new station called Rashidabad is inaugurated. Rashidabad is located between Tajpur Nasarpur Road and Tando Allahyar stations on Hyderabad – Mirpur Khas route.

(313)

July 2003: •

(314)

August 7, 2003: •

(315)

23 Chinese built freight wagons arrive in Pakistan. The wagons can carry 60 tons weight at 90kmph speeds.

May 5, 2004: •

(321)

A 45-service counter computerized Reservation office is inaugurated at Karachi Cant. Cost of building this office is 18 million Rupees

April 27, 2004: •

(320)

401 Up/402 Down 'Samjhauta Express' starts twice a week service between Pakistan and India after a closure of two years.

March 4, 2004: •

(319)

Pakistan Railway Heritage Point museum is set up at Golra Sharif Jn.

Jan 15, 2004: •

(318)

Pakistan receives 7 completely built 2000hp locomotives (DPU20) from Dahlian, China.

2003: •

(317)

Faisalabad Station gets connected to the Computerized Ticketing network

Sep 2003 •

(316)

Pakistan receives 8 completely built 3000hp locomotives (DPU30) from Dahlian, China.

5 Up Tezrau derails near the Khudabad crossing, 1/2 km from the Tando Adam station.

May 13, 2004: •

New Rake of Jaffer Express is inaugurated at Rawalpindi Railway Station. The train comprised of newly imported Chinese coaches with three lower AC coaches and four economy class coaches with head end generation. Each lower AC coach has a capacity of 54 berths and nine seats and each economy class coach has a capacity of 51 berths and nine seats. With the introduction of new

rake the train will run four times a week on every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from Rawalpindi to Quetta. From Quetta to Rawalpindi will run on Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. (322)

Aug 1, 2004: •

(323)

September 8, 2004: •

(324)

The Dpu30s' 6101 to 6108 & 6111 are grounded or are being used to haul freight load as it has a lower speed. It is said that the platform mounting of the nine Chinese built locomotives have developed cracks, forcing them out of service.

March 5, 2005: •

(329)

A new train called Multan Express is inaugurated. The train has a MultanFaisalabad route. It comprised of Chinese coaches.

February 2005: •

(328)

17 up / 18 down Millat Express inaugurated as a new non-stop train between Karachi Cant and Faisalabad. The rake comprises of 8 economy and 2 lower AC bogies imported from China.

December 15 2004: •

(327)

Sukkur got connected to the National network of Computerized Ticketing.

November 9, 2004: •

(326)

The travel time of 147 Up Islamabad Non Stop and 148 Down Lahore Non Stop was reduced by 15 minutes. These trains now cover 289 km distance between Lahore and Rawalpindi in 3 hrs and 30 minutes. It gives an average speed of 82.5kmph.

October 13, 2004: •

(325)

Non-Stop services between Lahore and Rawalpindi called the 'Islamabad Express' and 'Lahore Express' were introduced with the rake comprising of Chinese coahes. It covers the Lahore - Rawalpindi distance in 3 hours and 45 minutes.

By this date a total of 9 locomotives which were imported from china in 2003 are now withdrawn from service after their structures develop cracks.

March 8, 2005:

• (330)

April 19, 2005: •

(331)

Gujranwala station becomes the 15th station to get connected to the computerized ticketing network

August 2005: •

(337)

The PR conducted the first trial run of the fast train on a newly-laid 40 kilometer track between Sher Shah Jn and Shujabad. The train achieved a record speed of 142 km per hour.

August 5, 2005: •

(336)

In one of the worst accidents of PR history, three trains Karachi Express, Tezgam and Quetta Express collide at ‘Sarhad’ Railway Station in upper Sindh province. 17 coaches are destroyed. 128 people die and 170 are injured.

August 1, 2005: •

(335)

Karachi Circular Railway service extended to Wazir Mansion station. The service now runs between Wazir Mansion and Dabheji stations.

July 13, 2005: •

(334)

For the first time in the history of NWR/PWR/PR, the summer time table comes in force a month late from its scheduled April 15 date. The reason being delay in the construction of an underpass between Lahore and Lahore Cant stations, which meant trains kept running according to old time table for a month to reduce confusion.

May 19, 2005 •

(333)

Ground breaking ceremony takes place to convert the meter gauge track between Mirpur Khas Jn and Khokhrapar to Broad gauge.

May 15, 2005: •

(332)

Karachi Circular Railway restarts its operation on the mainline. 5 Up and 5 down daily trains are started.

Steam Safari starts between Rawalpindi and Golra Sharif Jn. Service is every Sunday. The Railway Heritage Museum at Golra Sharif also opens every Sunday.

September 13, 2005:

•

(338)

November 15, 2005 •

(339)

•

(342)

•

Rohri Jn became 18th station to get connected to Computerized Ticketing Network.

•

Pakistan and India decide to open the Khokhrapar-Munabao rail border from Feb 1, 2006 and run a new train called ‘Thar Express’ on this route.

January 29, 2006:

Pakistan and India decide to open the Khokhrapar-Munabao rail border from Feb 18, 2006 and run a new train called ‘Thar Express’ on this route. Earlier opening date was Feb 1, 2006

February 4, 2006: •

(345)

Lahore Express on its down run between Rawalpindi and Lahore derails near Domeli station. 6 bogies fell off track with a loss of life.

January 31, 2006: •

(344)

Pakistan completes conversion of Mirpur Khas Jn (Pakistan) to Munabao (India) from Meter Gauge to Broad Gauge. Khokhrapar to Munabao portion of the track is laid brand new after it was uprooted in 1965. At the end of 2005, PR owned 29 Electric Locomotives, 551 Diesel Locomotives, 23722 freight wagons and 1843 passenger coaches.

January 5, 2006:

•

(343)

Samjhauta Express running between Lahore and Atari is made a twice-weekly service as compared to a weekly service before. The two service days are Monday and Thursday

December, 2005: •

(341)

Fifteenth DPU30 locomotive rolls out of Risalpur factory and is handed over to the Pakistan Railways.

November 28, 2005: •

(340)

Bahawalpur station becomes the 16th station to get connected to the computerized ticketing network

10 coaches of the Lahore- bound Karakoram Express were derailed with four of them being overturned on early Saturday. The accident occurred between the stations of Samasata Jn and Kalanchwala. A woman was killed and 37 other passengers were injured.

February 10, 2006:

•

(346)

February 15, 2006: •

(347)

A new train called Marvi Express is inaugurated. Marvi Express has Mirpur Khas to Khokhrapar route and stops at all the stations in between.

July 24, 2006: •

(354)

A new train with Lahore-Rawalpindi route and called the 105 Up/106 Dn Margalla Express is inaugurated.

June 7, 2006: •

(353)

Rahimyar Khan became 20th station to get connected to Computerized Ticketing Network.

May 22, 2006: •

(352)

Nawabshah Jn became 19th station to get connected to Computerized Ticketing Network.

April 6, 2006: •

(351)

Thar Express from Pakistan crosses into India and comes back, thus establishing the second rail link between Pakistan and India since 1965.

February 28, 2006: •

(350)

405 Up and 406 Dn Thar Express starts its simultaneous journey from Karachi and Jodhpur respectively.

February 18, 2006: •

(349)

11up/12down Chenab Express is renamed as Hazara Express with a KarachiSragodha-Rawalpindi-Havelian route.

February 17, 2006: •

(348)

At least 17 containers and an engine of two goods trains of the Pakistan Railways (PR) were badly damaged in an accident between the Meting and Bholari railway stations in Thatta district. Six of the wagons were reduced to ashes. 400ft long track was also damaged.

A new nonstop train called Sindh Express is inaugurated. Sindh Express has a Karachi-Lahore route.

July 29, 2006: •

Due to torrential rains a bridge located between Dabheji and Ran Pethani stations and called Gangar Bridge is damaged and train traffic stops between

Karachi and upcountry. A temporary diversion is opened on August 5 and trains start operating again. (355)

August 14, 2006: •

(356)

August 19, 2006: •

(357)

Peshawar Express is inaugurated to run between Rawalpindi and Peshawar. The train stops at Attock and Nowshera and covers the distance between Rawalpindi and Peshawar in 3 hours.

December 16, 2006: •

(360)

PM Shaukat Aziz inaugurates the 72 km dual track between Lodhran Jn and Sher Shah Jn.

December 5, 2006: •

(359)

Thar Express starts service with a rake supplied by Indian Railways. PR supplied the rake for the first six months of Thar Express operation.

November 20, 2006: •

(358)

A new train called Burraq Express is inaugurated between Karachi and Rawalpindi

PM Shaukat Aziz inaugurates a new train called Pakistan Express with a Karachi-Faisalabad-Wazirabad-Rawalpindi route.

Jan 8, 2007: •

A new Karachi to Rawalpindi train called Jinnah Express is inaugurated by Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: 1) Hundred Years of Pakistan Railway by M.B.K. Malik 2) 'Pictures' page at PRACS web site: http://www.pracsltd.com.pk 3) 'History' page Pakistan Railway web site: http://www/pakrail.com 4) Indian Railway Chronology at IRFCA Web site:

http://www.irfca.org/faq/faq-hist.html 5) Discovery Channel, Insight Guide to Pakistan, edition 2000 6) 'Rare Maps of Pakistan' by F.S. Aijazuddin 7) Dr. K.J. Walker: [email protected] 8) Mr. Iqbal Samad Khan for providing dates on the establishment of dry ports and verifying many other events. 9) Couplings to the Khyber by P.S.A Berridge, 1969. 10) Kurrachee: Past, Present and Future by Alexander F. Baillie, March 2005 11) Mr. Azhar Imran Mughal of PRACS at [email protected] 12) Mr Nicholas lera