A new era of railway transport has begun in Punjab under a historic Memorandum of Understanding MoU between the Government of Punjab and Pakistan Railways. Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif and Federal Minister for Railways Hanif Abbasi signed the MoU.
Under the agreement, Pakistan’s first fast train will run between Lahore and Rawalpindi, completing the journey in two and a half hours. Officials briefed that modern trains will operate on 8 local routes across 20 regions covering 1,415 kilometers.
Punjab will provide modern DMU trains for regional routes under the agreement.
Train services will operate on Shahdara-Narowal (79 km) and Narowal-Sialkot (62 km) routes. A new train will also run on the 370-kilometer Raiwind-Kasur-Pakpattan-Lodhran route.
Services will also be introduced on Sheikhupura-Jaranwala-Shorkot (220 km), Lala Musa-Malakwal-Sargodha (147 km), Faisalabad-Chak Jhumra-Shaheenabad (68 km), and Kot Addu-Dera Ghazi Khan-Kashmore (303 km) routes.
The Government of Punjab will introduce new railway engines and modern coaches on these routes.
Federal Minister Hanif Abbasi appreciated the Chief Minister, saying that Pakistan Railways aims to transform its history by following her example. He added that with Punjab government’s support, nearly 90 million people will benefit from 9 routes.
He said revolutionary steps have been taken in Punjab under the leadership of Maryam Nawaz Sharif, including the launch of the Suthra Punjab project and major initiatives in health, education, and IT sectors.
He expressed gratitude for the improvement of Lahore Railway Station and said that measures are being taken to prevent railway accidents through automated (unmanned) systems. Beautification and international-standard parking facilities are also being developed.
He added that green parks spanning 40 kilometers from Shahdara to Raiwind will present scenic views similar to European countries, while over 400,000 trees are being planted along railway tracks across Punjab.
Hanif Abbasi said that the pace of work under the Chief Minister has put the entire province “on auto mode,” adding that over 70 percent of people have expressed satisfaction with her leadership.
He stated that visible work is the real success and noted that in the past, not even a single kilometer of railway track was developed nor investment made.
He thanked the Chief Minister for fulfilling the dream of providing quality railway transport after assuming office and said that Punjab’s people will be given rail facilities at par with European standards.
He also acknowledged that Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb worked tirelessly for a year to turn the Chief Minister’s vision into reality.
The 280-kilometer Lahore-Rawalpindi journey will be completed in two and a half hours.
He requested the Chief Minister to personally supervise this public welfare project.
Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif expressed her desire to provide European-style transport facilities to nearly 110 million people of Punjab.
Separately, a meeting chaired by Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz reviewed key developments in the province’s transport sector and approved several new initiatives to improve public mobility.
Officials informed the meeting that more than 125,000 passengers have benefited from the free transport service currently operating on 21 routes. Under this program, a total of 3,560 bus trips have been completed so far.
The government has approved the introduction of electric buses in 10 districts: Attock, Bhakkar, Hafizabad, Khanewal, Layyah, Sheikhupura, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Mandi Bahauddin, and Okara.
According to the briefing, 100 electric buses will arrive in Punjab within the current month, followed by 350 more by mid-May and another 264 by the end of June. Authorities also plan to establish a dedicated bus depot in each division to support the electric fleet. The chief minister has directed officials to present a plan for operating 1,500 electric buses at the tehsil level, indicating a major expansion of the initiative.
The meeting also reviewed progress on mass transit system projects in Gujranwala and Faisalabad. A report on Punjab’s first e-taxi scheme was presented, stating that 194 e-taxis will be introduced in May and 208 in June.
Maryam Nawaz further instructed that construction and renovation of metro bus stations be completed as soon as possible and approved new station designs. Progress on the “Empower Her” project, which aims to install modern bus stations in Lahore, was also reviewed.
Additionally, in-principle approval was granted for an e-bike project for government employees, as part of efforts to promote sustainable and affordable transportation across the province.