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Transport in Pakistan (Urdu:پاکِستان میں نقل و حمل) is extensive and varied. In recent years, newnational highways have been built, with the addition ofmotorways which have improved trade and logistics within the country. Pakistan's rail network is also undergoing expansion in recent years.Airports andseaports have been built with the addition of foreign and domestic funding. Transportation challenges in Pakistan are escalating due to poor planning, inadequate governance, and corrupt practices.[1]
The history of transport in modern-day Pakistan dates back to theIndus Valley civilization.
TheGrand Trunk Road was a major road commissioned bySher Shah Suri in the 16th century and used during theSuri andMughal periods. Trees were planted, and mosques and temples built along the road.Caravanserais were built for travelers to spend the night.
Railways and Airways were developed during theBritish Raj. The first railways in Pakistan were built from 1885.
The construction of motorways began in the early 1990s, with the idea of building a world-class road network and reducing the load on the heavily used national highways throughout the country. TheM-2 was the first motorway completed in 1998, linking the cities ofIslamabad andLahore. In the past 5 years, many new motorways have opened up, including theM-1 andM-4. The M4 is operational and connects the cities of Pindi Bhatian (M-2), Faisalabad and Multan viaGojra,Toba Tek Singh,Jhang,Shorkot,Pir Mahal andKhanewal. In 2019M-3 became operational, which connects Lahore with Multan through Abdul Hakeem and the existing M4 nearMultan. It terminates at the M5, which became operational in 2019. TheM-5 lead to the Sukkur District of Sindh. There, theM-6 (which is proposed with construction work to begin soon) will start; the M6 will end atHyderabad, where it will meet the existing M9 motorway toKarachi. In addition to this, theM-8 inBaluchistan province, the longest motorway of Pakistan, is half under construction, half operational. In central Punjab, the Lahore-Sialkot Motorway (M-11) opened on 18 March 2020 and in KPK province, the Hakka-Dera Ismail Khan Motorway (M14) is also under construction. Swat Motorway has been completed and operational up to Chakdarra. Hazara Motorway one more expressway under construction in KPK province.
During the 1990s, Pakistan began an ongoing project to rebuild allnational highways throughout the country specifically to important financial, cargo and textile centers. TheNational Highway Authority or NHA is responsible for the maintenance of all national highways in Pakistan.
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Many flyovers and underpasses are located in major urban areas of the country to regulate the flow of traffic. The highest number of flyovers and under passes are located inKarachi, followed byLahore.[2] Other cities having flyovers and underpasses for the regulation of flow of traffic includesIslamabad-Rawalpindi,Peshawar,Gujranwala,Multan,Faisalabad,Hyderabad,Quetta,Sargodha,Bahawalpur,Sukkur,Larkana,Rahim Yar Khan andSahiwal etc.[3][4][5][6]
Beijing Underpass,Lahore is the longest underpass of Pakistan with a length of about 1.3 km (0.81 mi).[7]Muslim Town Flyover,Lahore is the longest flyover of the country with a length of about 2.6 km (1.6 mi).[8]
Within cities, buses provide a significant role in commuting a large number of travelers from one city to another. Recently, large CNG buses have been put onto the streets of various cities, primarilyKarachi andLahore, and recentlyIslamabad,Peshawar as the minivans which were originally used were beginning to cause large traffic problems. Private yellow and white minivans have services throughout cities in Pakistan and get commuters from one point of the city to the other at a low cost. Since 2000, however, the government has taken a comprehensive initiative to modernize the existing bus fleets and minimally impact the environment. This public-private enterprise would gradually introduce 8,000 CNG buses throughout the country and 800 buses in Karachi. This venture will ensure high standards of efficiency and cleanliness.[9]
Bus service in urban areas and between cities is well established with services run by both public and private sectors.
International bus services are also well established in Pakistan and connect to various countries:
Another very common form of transport, seen mainly at hotels and airports, are yellow taxis. Drivers charge according to a meter located on the dashboard of the car, but fares can be negotiated if there is no meter. The cab drivers are reliable and will take passengers to any destination required.
There are also numerous privately run services that use cars and minibuses of various types throughout Pakistan, providing a reliable and quick means of transport. Recently, the Radio Cab was introduced in Pakistan, which allows riders to call a toll-free number to get in touch with the closest taxi stand. This service is currently offered inIslamabad,Rawalpindi,Karachi,Peshawar andLahore. Services forHyderabad andFaisalabad are now being set up. Another local cab service was introduced in August, 2017 with the name iCAB, claiming to be the first cab service of the country with a centralized platform for all kinds of road transportation services, providing app-based services and getting stupendous response from the people of Pakistan. Launched from the capital territory, iCAB will expand its operations to overall 13 cities of the country.
In 2025, the Government of Punjab launched the Green E-Taxi Scheme to provide electric vehicles for taxi drivers, aiming to reduce emissions and modernize urban transport.[10]
Over the years, the number of cars on Pakistani roads has tripled[as of?][citation needed]. Traffic jams are a common scene in major cities across Pakistan. The most popular cars on Pakistani roads are theSuzuki Mehran,Suzuki Cultus,Suzuki Alto,Suzuki Bolan,Daihatsu Coure,Hyundai Santro,Honda Civic,Honda City,Honda Accord,Toyota Corolla,Daihatsu Mira,Nissan Dayz,Toyota Vitz,Kia Sportage,Kia Picanto,Hyundai Elantra,Toyota Fortuner,Toyota Hilux Revo
Luxury SUVs and cars are owned by the elite in urban cities and by many large landowners in the villages and rural areas, thus making them a fairly common sight in Pakistan. The most popular models are theToyota Land Cruiser,Toyota Prado,Land Rover Range Rover, along with severalMercedes-Benzes,BMWs andAudis.
Students and teachers from theNational University of Science and Technology developed Pakistan's first ever hybrid gasoline car, theDevrim II, inspired by theTurkish model Devrim.[11] Before that, students fromNaval College Karachi andGhulam Ishaq Khan Institute also made a successful hybrid car, butDevrim II is the most effective one. The group, the Pak-Wheelers, had succeeded in 2011 in developing a car with a fuel efficiency of 450 kilometres per liter, but were trying to improve it to more than 700 by using hybrid technology.[12][13]
Auto rickshaws are a popular method of travelling in cities and are found in almost every city and town in Pakistan. The fare is usually negotiable before commencing a journey; however, due to the level of pollution contributed by auto-rickshaws, the government has recently begun banning older ones and replacing them with CNG auto rickshaws, which tend to be less noisy, form less pollutants and are much bigger and more comfortable. The Punjab government decided in 2005 to replace two-stroke three-wheelers withCNG-fitted four-stroke rickshaws in Lahore,Multan,Faisalabad,Rawalpindi andGujranwala. Three manufacturers were ordered to produce 60,000 four-stroke vehicles, but they reportedly supplied 2,000 to the government which are now plying on city roads. Similar ordinances are now being considered in other provinces of Pakistan.
A new form of transport in Pakistan is the Qing-Qi (pronounced "ching-chee"), which is a cross between a motorcycle and auto-rickshaw. It runs just like a motorcycle but has three wheels instead of two and can carry a much heavier load. It is an urban transport vehicle and is used mostly for short distances.
Motorcycling is another means of transportation in Pakistan. It is considered to be the most quickest way of getting to areas where vehicles cannot reach. There are also motorcycling operators in the cities. Some of them make use of helmet while others don't. There are also companies such asBykea that offer ride-hailing services with bikes or motorcycles inKarachi,Lahore,Rawalpindi,Peshawar and others.[14] Ride-hailing services such asUber andCareem are also available.In 2019, 2 more private ride-sharing services introduced specifically in the city of Karachi named Airlift and SWVL. Airlift is a Pakistan-based company while SWVL is an Egyptian company.
Rail services in Pakistan are provided by the state-runPakistan Railways, under the supervision of the Ministry of Railways. Pakistan Railways provides an important mode of transportation in Pakistan, catering to the large-scale movement of people and freight. The railway network comprises11,492 km[30] all of which is5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) gauge, including 286 km of electrified track. Passenger earnings comprise 50% of the total revenue. During 1999–2000 this amounted to Rs. 4.8 billion.[citation needed] Pakistan Railways carry 65 million passengers annually and daily operate 228 mail, express and passenger trains.[citation needed] Pakistan Railways also operate special trains for various occasions. The Freight Business Unit with 12,000 personnel operates over 200 freight stations on the railway network. The FBU serves thePort of Karachi andPort Qasim as well as in various other stations along the network and generates revenue from the movement of agricultural, industrial and imported products such as wheat, coal, fertiliser, cement and sugar. About 39% of the revenue is generated from the transportation of petroleum, 19% from imported wheat, fertiliser and rock phosphate. The remaining 42% is earned from domestic traffic. The freight rate structure is based on market trends in road transport, which is the main competitor to rail transport.
Prime MinisterNawaz Sharif said that a high-speed rail network will be built which will connectPeshawar toKarachi via all major cities ofPakistan during his visit toChina in June 2016. The Government is making plans for this project.[31]
Iran -A5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) railway line runs fromZahedan toQuetta, and a4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)standard gauge line is finished fromZahedan toKerman in central Iran, linking with the rest of the Iranian rail network. On May 18, 2007, a MOU for rail cooperation was signed by Pakistan and Iran under which the line will be completed by December 2008. Now that the rail systems are linked up at Zahedan, there is abreak-of-gauge between theIslamic Republic of Iran Railways4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)standard gauge tracks and Pakistan Railway's Indian gauge tracks.[32]
Afghanistan -Currently there is no rail link toAfghanistan since no railway network is present in that country, however Pakistan Rail has proposed to help build an Afghan Rail Network in three phases. The first phase will stretch from theChaman toSpin Boldak in Afghanistan. The second phase will extend line toKandahar and the third phase will eventually connect toHerat. From there, the line will be extended toKhushka,Turkmenistan. The final phase would link5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) with Central Asian1,520 mm (4 ft 11+27⁄32 in)Russian gauge. It is not clear where thebreak-of-gauge station will be.[33] The proposed line will also be connected the port town ofGwadar viaDalbadin andTaftan, thus connecting the port town to Central Asia.
China -There is no link withChina however, on 28 February 2007 contracts were awarded for feasibility studies on a proposed line fromHavelian via theKhunjerab Pass at 4730 m above sea level, to the Chineserailhead atKashgar, a distance of about 750 km.[34]
Turkmenistan -Via Afghanistan (proposed) – avoiding4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)standard gauge intervening.[35]
Turkey -AnIstanbul-Tehran-Islamabad passenger rail service was proposed recently.[36] Meanwhile, acontainer train service was launched by the former Prime Minister of PakistanYousuf Raza Gilani between Islamabad andIstanbul on 14 August 2009. The first train carried 20containers with a capacity of around 750 t (738long tons; 827short tons)[37] and will travel 6,500 km (4,000 mi) from Islamabad, throughTehran,Iran and on to Istanbul in two weeks' time.[38] According to theMinister for RailwaysGhulam Ahmad Bilour, after the trial of the container train service, a passenger train will be launched.[39] There are also hopes the route will eventually provide a link toEurope andCentral Asia, and carry passengers.[40]
InGhangha Pur, a2 ft (610 mm)narrow-gaugehorse-drawn tramway is operational.[41] It was first opened in 1898, closed in 1998, and re-opened in 2010.[42]
Pakistan has151 airports. The major airports are:
There are also several smaller airports which have flights to and from theGulf because of the largePakistani diaspora working in the region. There are 91 airports with paved runways, of which 14 have runways longer than 3,047 meters. The remaining 48 airports have unpaved runways including one airport with a runway longer than 3,047 meters. Pakistan also has eighteenheliports.
Despite PIA's domination in domestic market there are also 4 other carriers in Pakistan. Most notablyAirblue which is the second biggest airline based in Pakistan and only airline which has new generation aircraft with 2Airbus A321neo-LRs.Serene Air is the only other airline in Pakistan that ownswide-body aircraft with threeAirbus A330s. Then there are 2low-cost carriers with both having 5Airbus A320s in their fleet:fly Jinnah andAir Sial. The most favourite aircraft in Pakistan is theAirbus A320 family with only Serene air having 4Boeing 737s instead of the Airbuses.
The waterway network in Pakistan is in its infancy, withKarachi being the only major city situated next to the Arabian Sea. Still, plans are being proposed for the development of the waterways in the country along theIndus River and through the Punjab as it would boost employment opportunities and the economic and social development of Pakistan.
The above information was calculated in 2009.[30]
TheChina-Pakistan Economic Corridor is an under-construction development program to connectGwadar Port in southern Pakistan to China's northwestern autonomous region ofXinjiang viahighways,railways[44] and pipelines to transport oil and gas.Chinese PremierLi Keqiang was among the first advocates of the project; since thenGeneral Secretary of the Chinese Communist PartyXi Jinping, formerPakistani PresidentAsif Ali Zardari andPakistani prime ministerNawaz Sharif have become strong supporters of the project.[45] When the corridor is constructed, it will serve as a primary gateway for trade between China and the Middle East and Africa; in particular, oil from theMiddle East could be offloaded at Gwadar, which is located just outside the mouth of the Persian Gulf, and transported to China through theBaluchistan province in Pakistan. Such a link would vastly shorten the 12,000-kilometre route that Mideast oil supplies must now take to reach Chinese ports.[46]
The project received a major boost when control ofGwadar was transferred to China's state-owned China Overseas Ports Holding in February 2013. Built by Chinese workers and opened in 2007, Gwadar is undergoing a major expansion to turn it into a full-fledged, deep-water commercial port. On 19 February 2014, theSouth China Morning Post reported that Pakistan and China have signed agreements for constructing an international airport at Gwadar, for upgrading a section of the 1,300-kilometre Karakorum Highway connecting to Islamabad, and for a fibre-optic cable to be laid from the Chinese border to the Pakistani city ofRawalpindi.[47][48] According toThe Diplomat, with the development of the corridor,Central Asia, traditionally an economically closed region owing to its geography and lack of infrastructure, will have greater access to the sea and to the global trade network.[49] Pak-China Economic Corridor Secretariat was inaugurated inIslamabad on August 27, 2013.[50] The CPEC has put a debt burden on Pakistan, paving the way for China to use its "debt-trap diplomacy" and gain access to strategic assets. Therefore, Pakistan is already at high risk due to debt from China. Perhaps, Pakistan would never have imagined that its alliance with China would sink into huge debt.[51] China and Pakistan have both undertaken constructive measures to facilitate the advancement of the CPEC project. However, the ultimate outcome of the corridor's success is intricately tied to Pakistan's internal circumstances. A comprehensive evaluation of the corridor's potential remains challenging until Pakistan addresses its political and security challenges.[52][53]
As per the direction of the apex court, he said, the civil works of the project will be completed by end of July 2019. But the project will not enter into commercial operations by August or November 2019.
Latest technology will be employed for fabricating these trains and the rolling-stock will be fully computerised, automatic and driverless.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
This article incorporatespublic domain material fromThe World Factbook.CIA.
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