Pakistan Railways officially unveiled an ambitious plan on August 24, 2025, to introduce the country’s first bullet train, connecting Karachi and Lahore
The 1,215-kilometre high-speed rail line is scheduled to be operational by 2030 and will reduce travel time from nearly 20 hours to just 5 hours.
This landmark project, part of the $6.8 billion Main Line-1 (ML-1) upgrade under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), is being developed with Chinese technical assistance, including the China Railway Construction Corporation.
Designed to operate at speeds up to 250 km/h with key stops in Hyderabad, Multan, and Sahiwal, the bullet train is expected to revolutionize travel, boost regional trade, and create thousands of jobs.
Importantly, by shifting freight and passenger transport from road to rail, the project is projected to save billions in fossil fuel imports, thus significantly reducing the economic and environmental burden of fossil fuel extraction in Pakistan.
Additional benefits include increasing Pakistan’s rail freight share from 4% to 20% by 2030, modernizing railway infrastructure with double tracks, rebuilt bridges, and advanced signaling systems, and complementing other high-speed rail initiatives such as the newly approved Lahore–Rawalpindi bullet train.
The government plans to begin construction in 2026, with testing scheduled for 2029. Officials describe the bullet train as a “visionary step” poised to reshape Pakistan’s economy and connectivity.
This development marks a historic step towards sustainable transport and energy savings in Pakistan’s infrastructure landscape.