Pakistan Railways: A 50-Year Tale of Collapse.

Many of us have seen pictures of renovated VIP lounges at Railway Stations in Pakistan proudly inaugurated by Minister of Railways. In many ways the culture that lead to creation of such VIP rooms at less than 1 USD usage cost , is the same that lead to collapse of a once a mighty mobility system and one that British cherished as their monumental achievement in British Raj.

Instead of fixing tracks, signalling, rolling stock, or operations, scarce funds are spent on cosmetic projects that serve a handful of VIPs. This kind of political interference and misdirected spending not only fails to solve the real problems of Pakistan Railways, it actually deepens them—diverting money, attention, and incentives away from the hard, technical work needed to revive the system.
A single table of Pakistan Railways’ passenger statistics from 1971–2021 tells a story that is both revealing and sobering.

Passengers Carried: From 147 million to 28 million

In the mid-1970s, Railways carried 140–147 million passengers annually.

By 1990, this had already halved to about 85–90 million.

In 2020–21, the number stands at just 28 million — an 80% collapse from the peak.

Pakistan has grown, cities have expanded, mobility needs have exploded — but Railways’ ability to move people has regressed 40 years.

What Changed?

Several structural issues show up in this long-term trend:

Chronic under-investment in track, rolling stock, signaling, and safety

Road transport boom: buses, vans, motorbikes eroded PR’s passenger share

Policy inconsistency and lack of modernization

Operational inefficiencies and low commercial orientation

Railways moved from being a backbone of public mobility to a marginal system — even though no modern economy can function without mass transit.