Karachi Cantt Station gets makeover as PM Shehbaz inaugurates upgrades

Two new CIP lounges, three spacious waiting halls have been added among other facilities

One of Pakistan’s busiest railway stations has just been given the kind of facelift passengers have been waiting for. Karachi Cantt Station — the heart of the city’s rail network — has been upgraded with a fresh set of modern, passenger-friendly facilities, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif inaugrated them on Monday.

Walk into the station now and the changes are hard to miss. Two new CIP lounges and three bright, spacious waiting halls have been added to make travel a little less stressful, while executive-level washrooms aim to bring some much-needed comfort to long-distance journeys. Four newly installed escalators are already making it easier for families, the elderly and travellers with luggage to move around the station.

Passengers can now access the new CIP lounges at Karachi Cantt Station, where for just Rs300 they can sit comfortably and enjoy tea, snacks and other refreshments. Each passenger is allowed to use the lounge facilities for up to three hours.

To help passengers navigate the hustle, information desks have been redesigned to meet modern standards. Perhaps the most striking change is the digital complaint system — travellers can now scan a QR code and file complaints directly from their phones. Those reports go straight to the Railways Ministry and headquarters, cutting through layers of bureaucracy and promising faster responses.

کراچی کینٹ ریلوے اسٹیشن کی اپ گریڈیشن مکمل-کل باقاعدہ افتتاح!
جدید سہولیات، بہتر انفراسٹرکچر اور مسافروں کے لیے مزید آرام دہ ماحول پاکستان ریلوے کی ترجيحات کا حصہ۔ #PakistanRailways #KarachiCantt pic.twitter.com/DApSMqiKwx

— Ministry of Railways - Pakistan (@MOR_Pakistan) November 16, 2025

Cleanliness, often a sticking point at major stations, is getting special attention too. Pakistan Railways has partnered with the Sindh Solid Waste Management Board, whose staff will be on duty around the clock, using mechanical equipment to keep the station and surrounding tracks clean.

Passengers will also notice a more organised look, with standardised stalls replacing the cluttered mix that once lined the platforms. And with a new, state-of-the-art announcement system, missed trains and garbled instructions may finally become a thing of the past.

Officials say these upgrades are just the beginning — the first step in a wider plan to modernise railway stations across the country.

Shalimar Express gets a fresh start

It’s not just the station getting a new look. The Shalimar Express — one of the most-used trains between Karachi and Lahore — has also undergone a full refurbishment, its entire rake restored to near-new condition.

For the first time, passengers will find a live kitchen on board, along with free Wi-Fi throughout the journey. A brand-new dining car has been introduced, offering hot, freshly prepared meals made to proper food-safety standards.

And to make the experience smoother, trained staff will be present to guide and assist passengers from the moment they board.

PM Shehbaz lauds Railways for modernising transportation network

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised Pakistan Railways for its latest upgradation efforts, calling the initiative an important step toward modernising the country’s transportation network.

He congratulated Pakistan Railways and commended the cooperation between the Sindh government and the federal railways authorities. He urged that the same model be replicated with the governments of Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. He said this “exemplary federal–provincial partnership will result in developing Pakistan Railways as a modern transportation network in the region”.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif inaugurates Shalimar Express and newly constructed facilities at Cantt Railway Station Karachi. pic.twitter.com/APBlX4CoT5

— Government of Pakistan (@GovtofPakistan) November 17, 2025

Highlighting regional opportunities, the PM said Central Asia holds “huge potential for development of Railways network” and that the proactive approach shown by Pakistan Railways could position Pakistan as “a regional hub of communications”.

PM Shehbaz also noted that the resumption of the Islamabad–Tehran–Istanbul train service would “usher in a new era of economic growth and development for Pakistan”. He added that both the federal and Sindh governments would continue working to complete the Karachi Circular Railway project, a long-delayed urban transport initiative.

The PM reaffirmed that the federal government would provide the funding required to complete the Thar Coal Railways project, which aims to integrate the Thar coal fields with the national rail network. He also praised the Railways Minister for refurbishing 54 railway stations nationwide and said he hoped all stations across Pakistan would soon be modernised.