Khunjerab Railway

Taxila–Khunjerab Railway Line (Urdu: ٹیکسلا - خنجراب مرکزی راه آهن خط‎), also known as Khunjerab Railway or Karakoram Railway, is one of several proposed railway lines in Pakistan, to be operated and maintained by Pakistan Railways. The current active line begins from Taxila Junction station and ends at Havelian station. A proposed extension will see new track laid from Havelian station to the Pakistan-China border at the Khunjerab Pass where it will link up with China's Kashgar–Hotan railway.[2][3][4]

Taxila–Khunjerab Railway Line
ٹیکسلا - خنجراب مرکزی راه آهن خط
The proposed route of the Khunjerab Railway is indicated by the brown line
Overview
Other name(s)Khunjerab Railway
TerminiTaxila Junction
Khunjerab
Operation
OwnerPakistan Railways
Operator(s)Pakistan Railways
Technical
Line length682 km (424 mi)
Track gauge1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in)
Operating speed105 km/h (65 mph) (Current)
160 km/h (99 mph) (Proposed)[1]
Route map

 to Kashgar–Hotan Railway
 China
 Pakistan
Border
 Khunjerab Junction
 Gilgit
 Chilas
 Mansehra
 Abbottabad
 Havelian
 Baldher
 Serai Saleh
 Haripur Hazara
 Kot Najib Ullah
 Usman Khattar
 Mohra Shah Wali
 Taxila Cantonment Junction
 on Karachi-Peshawar Line

History
Karakoram Highway route map

In 2007, consultants[5] were engaged to investigate the construction of a railway through the Khunjerab Pass in Gilgit-Baltistan to connect China Railway with Pakistan Railways. A feasibility study started in November 2009 for a line connecting Havelian and Kashgar. 750 km (466 mi) of the line would extend through Pakistan, while the remaining 350 km (217 mi) in China.[6] In June 2014, China commissioned a "preliminary research study" to build an international rail link to Pakistan.[7] In 2016 this 682 km proposed railway link was reported to be part of the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor,[8] and was to commence construction during the second phase of CPEC between 2018-2022.[9][10] However the construction of this railway line was not mentioned in the CPEC Long Term Plan from 2017-2030[11] released jointly by China and Pakistan in 2017. China's involvement in several rail projects in Pakistan is motivated primarily by commercial considerations, but it also sees distinct advantages for its improved transportation and access to Central Asia and the Persian Gulf states.

Route

The stations on this line are as follows:

Active Line

Proposed Line [3]

  • Abbottabad
  • Mansehra
  • Besham
  • Dasu
  • Chilas
  • Gilgit
  • Hunza
  • Sost
  • Khunjerab Junction

Cost

Pakistan awarded a Rs72 million (US$1.2 million) contract to an international consortium to carry out a feasibility study for establishing a rail link with China to boost trade relations between the two countries.

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See also

References
  1. 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.
  2. Pakistan Railways Time & Fare Table 2015 (PDF) (in English and Urdu) (October 2015 ed.). Pakistan: National Book Foundation. pp. 94–99. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 August 2016. Retrieved 18 August 2016.
  3. 1stMeeting of Railway Working Group (PDF). Pakistan: Pakistan Ministry of Railways. 2015-11-24. p. 24. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-08-03.
  4. Hotan railway open
  5. Syed Fazl-e-Haider (February 24, 2007). "China-Pakistan rail link on horizon". Online Asia Times: South Asia.
  6. "Kashi, China". Global Gazetteer Version 2.2. Falling Rain Genomics. 1996–2010.
  7. China tables railway project linking to Pakistan
  8. "Railway line to be laid from Havelian to Khunjerab under CPEC: Rashid". Radio Pakistan. Retrieved 2016-06-18.
  9. "New railway line to be laid from Havelian to Khunjrab: Khawaja". Business Recorder. Retrieved 2016-06-18.
  10. "Pak-China likely to ink MoU for rail link". www.dawn.com. 2010-07-06. Retrieved 2016-06-18.
  11. http://pc.gov.pk/uploads/cpec/LTP.pdf
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