Pakistan Railways is making its most serious push in decades to rebuild freight operations, with new freight wagons entering service, dedicated freight corridors under development, and commodity-based train services — including edible oil and automobile trains — expected to launch by December 2026.
Freight is central to the railway’s financial turnaround plan. Globally, railways earn the bulk of their revenue from cargo, but Pakistan Railways’ freight share of national goods transport has dwindled to a small fraction, ceding the market almost entirely to trucking.
Commodity-Based Freight Services
The new strategy moves away from general-purpose goods trains towards commodity-specific services designed around the needs of particular industries. Edible oil trains will move imported oil from Karachi’s port terminals to upcountry processing plants in dedicated tanker rakes, while automobile trains will carry vehicles from assembly plants and ports to dealers across Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on specialised car-carrier wagons.
By guaranteeing scheduled, block-train operations for specific commodities, the railway aims to offer shippers the reliability that has historically pushed them to road transport — fixed departure times, predictable transit, and door-adjacent terminal handling.
New Wagons and Dedicated Corridors
Hundreds of new freight wagons are being added to the fleet, supplementing rehabilitation of existing stock. In parallel, dedicated freight corridors are under development to separate cargo flows from passenger traffic on the busiest sections — a critical step, since mixed traffic forces freight trains into long waits and unpredictable schedules.
The Karachi port connections are the first priority, given that port-to-hinterland movement represents the largest and most winnable freight market for rail.
Why It Matters for Passengers Too
A profitable freight business cross-subsidises passenger operations and funds infrastructure that benefits all trains — better track, better signalling, and more capacity. Every rupee earned from cargo strengthens the case for more and better passenger services.
You can watch the network in action — track any Pakistan Railways passenger train live on TrainTracking.pk with real-time positions and ETAs.