Karachi–Peshawar Railway Line (Urdu:کراچی–پشاور مرکزی راه آهن خط) (also referred to as Main Line 1 or ML-1) is one of four main railway lines in Pakistan, operated and maintained by Pakistan Railways. The line begins from Karachi City station or Kiamari station and ends at Peshawar Cantonment Station. The total length of this railway line is 1,687 kilometers (1,048 mi). There are 184 railway stations from Kiamari to Peshawar Cantonment on this line.[3] The line serves as the main passenger and freight line of the country. 75% of the country’s cargo and passenger traffic uses the line. The line is currently undergoing an six-year ₨886.68 billion (US$8.4 billion) upgrade and renovation as part of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor, with average rail speeds expected be doubled to 160 kilometers per hour upon completion.[4]
History
Pakistan Railways network map with Main Line 1 shown in black
The present-day Karachi–Peshawar Railway Line was built as a patchwork of different railways during the 19th century. The present day line consists of the following historic sections built between 1861 and 1900:
- Karachi–Kotri section, opened in 1861 (Kotri Bridge over the Indus River, opened in 1899)
- Kotri–Rohri section, opened in 1900
- Rohri–Multan section, opened in 1879 (Empress Bridge (near Bahawalpur) over the Sutlej River, opened in 1878)
- Multan–Lahore section, opened in 1861
- Lahore–Peshawar section, opened in 1876 (Attock Bridge over the Indus River, opened in 1883)
Early development
The Scinde Railway was constructed in 1861 as a 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) broad gauge railway line between Karachi and Kotri.[5][6] Work on the line had commenced in April 1858 and was the first railway line for public use in the region.[7] Following the completion of the line, the Indus Steam Flotilla began docking in Kotri (instead of Karachi) from Multan.[8] The Punjab Railway was constructed and inaugurated in late 1861 as a 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) broad gauge railway line between Multan and Lahore, and later extended to Amritsar.[5][6][9] Thus the travel time between Sindh and Punjab was greatly reduced together with the Scinde Railway, Indus Steam Flotilla and Punjab Railways; what normally took 40 days to travel between Karachi and Lahore now took 48 hours to transport passengers and cargo.
Mergers & expansion
In 1870, the Scinde, Punjab & Delhi Railway was formed from the incorporation of the Scinde Railway, Indus Steam Flotilla, Punjab Railway and Delhi Railway companies in order to increase efficiency of passenger and cargo transport between Sindh and Punjab.[10] However, the rail gap between Kotri and Multan was considered a hassle as the Indus River and Sutlej River were major obstacles to cross at the time. In 1871, the Indus Valley State Railway was inaugurated and construction began on extending the railway line from Multan south towards Bahawalpur (crossing the Sutlej River) and on wards to Rohri. In 1876, the Punjab Northern State Railway was constructed between Lahore and Peshawar and in 1883 the Attock Bridge over the Indus River was opened.[11] In 1878, the Empress Bridge over the Sutlej River was opened and in 1879 the Indus Valley State Railway reached Rohri. From Rohri, a steam ferry would transport eight rail carriages at a time across the Indus between Rohri and Sukkur. This was found to be cumbersome and time-consuming. In 1889, the Lansdowne Bridge between Rohri and Sukkar was opened and in 1893, work on the Kotri Bridge commenced. It was only in 1900 that the section between Rohri and Kotri was completed.[12][13][14] In 1885, all the companies were merged to form the North Western State Railway.
Stations
The stations on this line are as follows:
References
- ↑ Amer Sial (August 17, 2016). "Pak Railways poised to get massive funding from CPEC and CAREC". Pakistan Today. Archived from the original on August 18, 2016. Retrieved 18 August 2016.
- ↑ Pakistan Railways: A Performance Analysis - Citizens’ Periodic Reports on the Performance of State Institutions (PDF). Islamabad: PILDAT. December 2015. p. 21. ISBN 978-969-558-589-4. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 24, 2016. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
- ↑ "Pakistan Railways Time & Fare Table 2015" (PDF). Musafir (in English and Urdu). Pakistan. October 2015: 58–93. Retrieved 18 August 2016.
- ↑ Shahbaz Rana (30 September 2016). "China approves $5.5b for Pakistan's main rail link". The Express Tribune. Islamabad, Pakistan. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
- 1 2 H.M. Government “Statute Law Repeals: Nineteenth Report : Draft Statute Law (Repeals) Bill; April 2012"; pages 134-135, paragraphs 3.78-3.83 Retrieved on 2 January 2016
- 1 2 "Money Market and City Intelligence", "The Times", Wednesday, 15 June 1859, #23333, 7a.
- ↑ Grace’s Guide “Scinde Railway” Retrieved on 2 January 2016
- ↑ "Money Market and City Intelligence", The Times, Wednesday, 15 June 1859, #23333, 7a
- ↑ Andrew, Sir William Patrick (6 June 2018). "The Punjaub Railway. A Selection from Official Correspondence Regarding the Introduction of Railways Into the Punjaub, with Map of Scinde and the Punjaub ..." W.H. Allen and Company – via Google Books.
- ↑ The Railway News and Joint-Stock Journal, Volume 13. London. 1870. p. 621.
The scheme for amalgamating the Scine Railway, the Indus Flotilla, the Punjaub Railway, and the Delhi Railway into one united undertaking, as from the 1st of July, 1870, was taken as read.
- ↑ Google Books "Engines of Change: The Railroads that Made India" by Ian J. Kerr, page 84 Retrieved on 12 Jul 2016
- ↑ "Shadbolt Collection: Construction of the Indus Bridge at Kotri.”; Retrieved on 26 Maqy 2016
- ↑ “Indian Biographical Dictionary” 1915 page 390; Retrieved on 26 Mayr 2016
- ↑ Google Books " India List and India Office List, 1905" page 479 (pdf page 442) Retrieved on 26 May 2016
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