Pakistan Railways FC serves as the football section of

Pakistan Railways Pakistan Railways is the state-owned railway operator in Pakistan. Founded in 1861 as the North Western State Railway and headquartered in Lahore, it owns of operational track across Pakistan, stretching from Peshawar to Karachi, offering bot ...

, a state-owned railway company. Based in

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

, the club play at the

Railway Stadium Railway Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Garhi Shahu, Lahore, Pakistan. It is currently used mostly for football matches and serves as the home venue for the Pakistan Railways football team, and was one of the primary venues for the Pakistan ...

. Nicknamed the Railwaymen, they are one of the oldest football clubs in Pakistan and were created by Pakistan Railway workers. The club used to compete in the National Football Championship and

Pakistan Premier League The Pakistan Premier League (PPL; ) is a Pakistani semi-professional league for men's football clubs. The top tier of the Pakistan football league system, the PPL operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the PFFL B Division. The ...

. The club regularly participates in the

PFF National Challenge Cup The PFF National Challenge Cup is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic Pakistani football within the Pakistan football league system. It is organized by and named after the Pakistan Football Federation. Initially named as ...

History

Early years

Pakistan Railways captain Younus Rana receiving the 1969 National Football Championship trophy from president Yahya Khan at Lahore

Founded in 1950 by workers of the

, it is one of the oldest football clubs in Pakistan. In the 1953 National Football Championship, it finished runner-up after falling to Punjab Blue in the final. In the 1956 season of the National Football Championship, the club entered as Railway White, again finishing as runner-up after losing against Balochistan. Two years later, the club lost against Punjab Blue. Between 1963 and 1966, the club finished as runner-up in three seasons consecutively, losing against Karachi in all the finals. In 1963, the club won its first title after winning the

Aga Khan Gold Cup The Aga Khan Gold Cup was a tournament played in Dhaka, Bangladesh which invited the club sides from leading football nations of Asia to compete. Many renowned football pundits regard this competition as a predecessor of the AFC Champions League ...

. In 1969, they beat Karachi to win the first of their two National Football Championship titles. The second was in 1984, when they defeated

WAPDA The Pakistan Water & Power Development Authority (), colloquially known as WAPDA, is a Pakistani government-owned public utility agency maintaining hydropower and water in Pakistan, although it does not manage thermal power plants. WAPDA includes ...

in the final.

Pakistan Premier League era: 2006–2015

After the revamp in Pakistani football and the discontinuation of the National Football Championship, the club competed in the second-tier, winning the

2005–06 PFF National League The 2005–06 PFF National League (now known as PFF League) was the 2nd season of Pakistan Football Federation League, second tier of Pakistan Football Federation The Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) is the national governing body of a ...

, returning to the top flight. They were relegated from

after two years in the

2007–08 Pakistan Premier League The 2007–08 season was the 53rd season of Pakistan domestic football and the 4th season of the Pakistan Premier League. It was held from November 1, 2007 to February 6, 2008, under the auspices of Pakistan Football Federation. Changes The Pakis ...

. Chaudhry Mohammad Asghar was Pakistan Railways football coach till that time. The coaching was then passed to Muhammad Rasheed, the ex-national player and Pakistan Railways legend who scored the only goal in the National Championship 1984 final. Railways again qualified to the top-tier by winning their departmental leg of the 2013 PFF League. It remained in the top tier until getting relegated again in the

2014–15 Pakistan Premier League The 2014–15 Pakistan Premier League was the 60th season of Pakistan domestic football and the 11th season of the Pakistan Premier League, the top tier of the Pakistan football league system. The league began on 20 September 2014. Khan Research ...

2023–present

Following the domestic football revamp in the country in 2023, departmental clubs including Railways remained competing in the

Honours

Domestic

Leagues

* National Football Championship ** Winners (2): 1969, 1984 *

Football Federation League The Pakistan Football Federation League B Division (; abbreviated: PFFL) is a Pakistani professional league for men's football departments and clubs which are in the Pakistan football league system, and is the country's second-tier competition. ...

** Winners (2): 2005–06,

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

Invitational

** Winners (1): 1963

Notable players

References

External links

Pakistan Railways FC
at Global Sports Archive Pakistan Railways F.C. 1950 establishments in Pakistan Association football clubs established in 1950 Railway association football clubs in Pakistan Pakistan Railways sports Football in Lahore {{Pakistan-footyclub-stub