Khunjerab Railway

Khunjerab Railway
خنجراب ریل راستہ
Khunjerab Railway ; خنجراب ریل راستہ
	The proposed route of the Khunjerab Railway is indicated by the brown line
Overview
Other name(s)	China–Pakistan railway
Status	Semi-Planned
Owner	Pakistan Railways
Termini	Taxila Junction; Khunjerab;
Stations	7
Service
Operator(s)	Pakistan Railways
Technical
Line length	737 km (458 mi)
Track gauge	1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in)
Operating speed	30 km/h (19 mph) to 50 km/h (31 mph)
Route map
Route map
	Legend
	China
	Pakistan

Khunjerab Railway (Urdu: خنجراب ریل راستہ), also known as China–Pakistan railway and ML-5, is a semi planned 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.^[1]^[2]

History

In 2007, consultants^[3] 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.^[4] In June 2014, China commissioned a "preliminary research study" to build an international rail link to Pakistan.^[5] In 2016 this 682 km proposed railway link was reported to be part of the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor,^[6] and was to commence construction during the second phase of CPEC between 2018 and 2022.^[7]^[8] However the construction of this railway line was not mentioned in the CPEC Long Term Plan from 2017 to 2030^[9] 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 ^[1]

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.

References

^ ^a ^b 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.
^ "新疆喀和铁路客运通车" [Xinjiang Kahe Railway Passenger Transport Opened to Traffic]. www.gov.cn. Retrieved 2023-12-18.
^ Syed Fazl-e-Haider (February 24, 2007). "China-Pakistan rail link on horizon". Online Asia Times: South Asia. Archived from the original on February 26, 2007.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
^ "Kashi, China". Global Gazetteer Version 2.2. Falling Rain Genomics. 1996–2010. Retrieved 2023-12-18.
^ "China tables railway project linking to Pakistan". www.dawn.com. 2014-06-30. Retrieved 2023-12-18.
^ "Railway line to be laid from Havelian to Khunjerab under CPEC: Rashid". Radio Pakistan. Retrieved 2016-06-18.
^ "New railway line to be laid from Havelian to Khunjrab: Khawaja". Business Recorder. Retrieved 2016-06-18.
^ "Pak-China likely to ink MoU for rail link". www.dawn.com. 2010-07-06. Retrieved 2016-06-18.
^ http://pc.gov.pk/uploads/cpec/LTP.pdf ^{[bare URL PDF]}