Pakistan Railways History

Pakistan Railways is the national, state owned railway company of Pakistan. PR was founded in 13 May 1861 at British ruled India.

British Era History

Rail transport in Pakistan began in 1855 during the British Raj, when several railway companies began lying track and operating in present-day Pakistan. The country's rail

system has been nationalized as Pakistan Railways (originally the Pakistan Western Railway). The system was originally a patchwork of local rail lines operated by small private companies, including the Scinde, Punjab and Delhi Railways and the Indus Steam Flotilla. In 1870, the four companies were amalgamated as the 1: Scinde Railway, 2: Punjab Railway & Delhi Railway. Several other rail lines were built shortly thereafter, including the Sind–Sagar and Trans–Baluchistan Railways and the Sind–Pishin, Indus Valley, Punjab Northern and Kandahar State Railways. These six companies and the Scinde, Punjab & Delhi Railway merged to form the North Western State Railway in 1880. Following independence in 1947, the North Western Railway became Pakistan Western Railway and the rail system was reorganized; some of the reorganization was controversial. Rail use increased in early 1948, and the network became profitable. Declining passenger numbers and financial losses in the late 1980s and early 1990s prompted the closure of many branch lines and small stations. The 1990s saw corporate mismanagement and severe cuts in rail subsidies. Due to falling passenger numbers, government subsidies are necessary to keep the railways financially viable.

1: Scinde Railway (1855-1870)

The Scinde Railway Company was established in 1855, after Karachi's potential as a seaport was first explored in the early 1850s. Sir Henry Bartle Frere, who was appointed Commissioner of Sindh shortly after its fall in the battle of Miani, sought permission from Lord Dalhousie to begin a survey for a seaport. The Scinde Railway was established by a settlement in March 1855, and was incorporated by Parliament in the Scinde Railway Act of July of that year. Frere began the rail survey in 1858, and a rail line from Karachi to Kotri, steam navigation up the Indus and Chenab Rivers to Multan, and another rail line to Lahore were proposed. Work on the railway began in April 1858, and Karachi and Kotri—a distance of 108 miles (174 km) were connected by rail on 13 May 1861.

                                                     

2: Punjab- Delhi Railway & Indus Steam Flotilla

The Punjab Railway was established shortly after the July 1855 passage of the Scinde Railway Act. As the Karachi-to-Kotri line was being constructed and the Indus steam Flotilla was being set up to transport passengers to Multan, the Punjab Railway was laid from Multan to Lahore and onward to Amritsar. The line opened in 1861, connecting Karachi and Lahore.

The Indus Steam Flotilla was a freight and passenger Steam-ship company which operated initially between Karachi and Multan and later between Kotri and Multan after the completion of the Karachi to Kotri Railway Line between 1858 and 1870. The Indus Steam Flotilla provided "the navigation of the Indus, &c, by means of steam vessels [sic], between Kotri and Multan, to be worked in connection with the railways." It plied the Indus and Chenab Rivers from Karachi Port in the south to Makhad in the north via Jhirk and Mithankot. The journey between Karachi and Multan alone took up to 40 days. The company had its headquarters in Kotri, and its promoters negotiated the same guaranteed rate of return as the original guaranteed railways. It later merged with the Scinde and Punjab Railways to form the Scinde, Punjab & Delhi Railway. With the Scinde Railway in place, the Indus Flotilla steamers could take cargo from Kotri instead of Karachi (saving about 150 miles (240 km) through the Indus River delta). The railway bypassed Jhirk, reducing its importance. In 1856, the Scinde Railway charter was expanded to include the construction of Punjab Railway connecting Multan with Lahore and Amritsar.