Akbar Express

Akbar Bugti Express

Overview
Service type	Inter-city rail
Predecessor	Quetta Express
First service	August 5, 1974
Current operator(s)	Pakistan Railways
Route
Start	Quetta
End	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
Sleeping arrangements	Available
Catering facilities	Available
Technical
Track gauge	1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in)
Track owner(s)	Pakistan Railways
Route map

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 Rohri–Chaman Railway Line
• Rohri Junction–Khanewal Junction via Karachi–Peshawar Railway Line
• Khanewal Junction–Sangla Hill Junction via Khanewal–Wazirabad Branch Line
• Sangla Hill Junction–Shahdara Bagh Junction via Shahdara Bagh–Sangla Hill Branch Line
• Shahdara Bagh Junction–Lahore Junction via 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

Economy and First Class Sleeper accommodations are available.^[2]

See also

• Pakistan Railways

References

1. Quetta Express resumes operation, Publisher: Pakistan Observer, Published on 25 April 2013, Retrieved on 26 April 2013
2. "Pakistan Railways Trains". http://pakistanrail.tripod.com. Retrieved 23 July 2013. External link in |publisher= (help)