The ''Akbar Express'' ( ur, , bal, اکبر ایکسپریس) is a
passenger train
A passenger train is a train used to transport people along a railroad line. These trains may consist of unpowered passenger railroad cars (also known as coaches or carriages) hauled by one or more locomotives, or may be self-propelled; self pr ...
operated daily by
Pakistan Railways
Pakistan Railways ( ur, ) is the national, state-owned railway company of Pakistan. Founded in 1861 and headquartered in Lahore, it owns of track across Pakistan, stretching from Torkham to Karachi, offering both freight and passenger servi ...
between
Quetta
Quetta (; ur, ; ; ps, کوټه) is the tenth List of cities in Pakistan by population, most populous city in Pakistan with a population of over 1.1 million. It is situated in Geography of Pakistan, south-west of the country close to the ...
and
Lahore
Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...
. The trip takes approximately 23 hours and 30 minutes to cover a published distance of , traveling along the
Rohri–Chaman Railway Line,
Karachi–Peshawar Railway Line,
Khanewal–Wazirabad Branch Line
Khanewal–Wazirabad Branch Line ( ur, ) is one of several branch lines in Pakistan, operated and maintained by Pakistan Railways. The line begins from Khanewal Junction station and ends at Wazirabad Junction station. The total length of this ...
and the
Shahdara Bagh–Sangla Hill Branch Line
Shahdara Bagh–Sangla Hill Branch Line ( ur, ) is one of several branch lines in Pakistan, operated and maintained by Pakistan Railways
Pakistan Railways ( ur, ) is the national, state-owned railway company of Pakistan. Founded in 1861 ...
.
History
The Akbar Express was previously known as the ''Quetta Express''. In August 2013, it was renamed to Akbar Express in honour of
Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, a Baloch nationalist leader and former head of the
Jamhoori Wattan Party
The Jamhoori Wattan Party ( ur, جمہوری وطن پارٹی, lit=Republican National Party) is a political party in Balochistan, Pakistan.
The party has split into two factions, with the non-dominant one led by Baramdagh Bugti splitting off to ...
.
Pakistan Railways
Pakistan Railways ( ur, ) is the national, state-owned railway company of Pakistan. Founded in 1861 and headquartered in Lahore, it owns of track across Pakistan, stretching from Torkham to Karachi, offering both freight and passenger servi ...
suspended the train in 2010 due to lack of locomotives but was resumed on 25 April 2013.
Route
Originally, the Quetta Express ran between Quetta and
Peshawar
Peshawar (; ps, پېښور ; hnd, ; ; ur, ) is the sixth most populous city in Pakistan, with a population of over 2.3 million. It is situated in the north-west of the country, close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is ...
via
Rohri,
Multan
Multan (; ) is a city in Punjab, Pakistan, on the bank of the Chenab River. Multan is Pakistan's seventh largest city as per the 2017 census, and the major cultural, religious and economic centre of southern Punjab.
Multan is one of the List ...
,
Lahore
Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...
and
Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi ( or ; Urdu, ) is a city in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad, and third largest in Punjab after Lahore and Faisalabad. Rawalpindi is next to Pakistan's ...
. Since being renamed to Akbar Express, the route has been shortened to Lahore via Faisalabad.
*
Quetta
Quetta (; ur, ; ; ps, کوټه) is the tenth List of cities in Pakistan by population, most populous city in Pakistan with a population of over 1.1 million. It is situated in Geography of Pakistan, south-west of the country close to the ...
–
Rohri Junction via the
Rohri–Chaman Railway Line
* Rohri Junction–
Khanewal Junction via the
Karachi–Peshawar Railway Line
* Khanewal Junction–
Sangla Hill Junction via the
Khanewal–Wazirabad Branch Line
Khanewal–Wazirabad Branch Line ( ur, ) is one of several branch lines in Pakistan, operated and maintained by Pakistan Railways. The line begins from Khanewal Junction station and ends at Wazirabad Junction station. The total length of this ...
* Sangla Hill Junction–
Shahdara Bagh Junction via the
Shahdara Bagh–Sangla Hill Branch Line
Shahdara Bagh–Sangla Hill Branch Line ( ur, ) is one of several branch lines in Pakistan, operated and maintained by Pakistan Railways
Pakistan Railways ( ur, ) is the national, state-owned railway company of Pakistan. Founded in 1861 ...
* Shahdara Bagh Junction–
Lahore Junction via the
Karachi–Peshawar Railway Line
Station stops
Equipment
Akbar Express consists of ten coaches and four rakes with AC Standard, First Class Sleeper and Economy Class accommodations.
See also
*
Pakistan Railways
Pakistan Railways ( ur, ) is the national, state-owned railway company of Pakistan. Founded in 1861 and headquartered in Lahore, it owns of track across Pakistan, stretching from Torkham to Karachi, offering both freight and passenger servi ...
References
{{Named passenger trains of Pakistan
Named passenger trains of Pakistan
Passenger trains in Pakistan
Quetta
Rail transport in Balochistan, Pakistan