Akbar Express
| Overview | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service type | Inter-city rail | ||||
| Predecessor | Quetta Express | ||||
| First service | August 5, 1974 | ||||
| Current operator(s) | Pakistan Railways | ||||
| Route | |||||
| Termini | Quetta Lahore | ||||
| Distance travelled | 1,225 kilometres (761 mi) | ||||
| Average journey time | 23 hours | ||||
| Service frequency | Daily | ||||
| Train number(s) | 23UP (Quetta→Lahore) 24DN (Lahore→Quetta) | ||||
| On-board services | |||||
| Class(es) | First Class Sleeper Economy | ||||
| Seating arrangements | Available | ||||
| Sleeping arrangements | Available | ||||
| Catering facilities | Available | ||||
| Technical | |||||
| Track gauge | 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) | ||||
| Track owner(s) | Pakistan Railways | ||||
| |||||
The Akbar Express (Urdu: اکبر ایکسپریس, Balochi: اکبر ایکسپریس) is a passenger train operated daily by Pakistan Railways between Quetta and Lahore. The trip takes approximately 23 hours and 30 minutes to cover a published distance of 1,225 kilometres (761 mi), traveling along the Rohri–Chaman Railway Line, Karachi–Peshawar Railway Line, Khanewal–Wazirabad Branch Line and the Shahdara Bagh–Sangla Hill Branch Line.
History
The Akbar Express was previously known as the Quetta Express - in August 2013, it renamed to Akbar Express in honour of Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, a Baloch nationalist leader and former head of the Jamhoori Wattan Party. Pakistan Railways suspended the train in 2010 due to lack of locomotives but was resumed on 25 April 2013.[1]
Route
During the time of the Quetta Express, the train was run between Quetta and Peshawar via Rohri, Multan, Lahore and Rawalpindi. However, since Akbar Express started, the route has been shortened to Lahore via Faisalabad.
- Quetta–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
- Sangla Hill Junction–Shahdara Bagh Junction via the Shahdara Bagh–Sangla Hill Branch Line
- Shahdara Bagh Junction–Lahore Junction via the Karachi–Peshawar Railway Line
Station stops
- Quetta
- Kolpur
- Mach
- Aab-e-Gum
- Sibi
- Bakhtiarabad Domki
- Dera Murad Jamali
- Dera Allah Yar
- Jacobabad Junction
- Shikarpur
- Sukkur
- Rohri Junction
- Pano Akil
- Ghotki
- Mirpur Mathelo
- Sadiqabad
- Rahim Yar Khan
- Khanpur Junction
- Liaquatpur
- Dera Nawab Sahib
- Bahawalpur
- Jahanian
- Khanewal Junction
- Shorkot Cantonment Junction
- Toba Tek Singh
- Gojra
- Faisalabad
- Sangla Hill Junction
- Lahore Junction [2]
Equipment
Akbar Express offers First Class Sleeper and Economy accommodations.[2][3]
See also
References
- ^ Quetta Express resumes operation[permanent dead link], Publisher: Pakistan Observer, Published on 25 April 2013, Retrieved on 26 April 2013
- ^ a b "Pakistan Railways Trains". pakistanrail.tripod.com. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
- ^ http://www.pakinformation.com/railway-timings/akbar-express.html
