Train comes to the city of Islamabad finally

ISLAMABAD: Though 40 years late, the train has arrived to Pakistan’s federal capital. The Margalla Railway Station received its first express train on Wednesday.

But regular service of the Margalla Express between Lahore and Islamabad will have to wait for a formal inauguration by Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, expected on April 30.

Divisional Superintendent Jalaluddin of Pakistan Railways (PR) at Rawalpindi has said that a recent survey showed that the railway track and service can be extended to Zero Point. He and PR’s General Manager Operations Saeed Akhtar had even identified a site near Zero Point for building a railway station.

In fact the Master Plan of Islamabad provided for a railway station at Zero Point, he told Dawn. ‘But naturally the decision lies with the government.’

Though built long ago, the Margalla Railway Station was only briefly used in 1979 for a shuttle service between Rawalpindi and Islamabad, mainly for the workers of the industrial units in the surrounding area. The public transport mafia however saw to it that the service did not survive for more than a few months.

It remained a desert place for several years until the dry port at Chaklala Railway Station was shifted there. But the track remained idle for three decades as the dry port handled only containers brought there by road for customs examination. Railway officials revisited the Margalla Station 30 years after it was opened in 1979 and decided to revive it. The Federal Board of Revenue, which has been running the dry port there, agreed to vacate half of the station for the PR to run its train services.

Meanwhile, the dry port operations will continue.Although the need for introducing a mass transit system has been growing with the rise in the city population, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) ignored the need under the influence of successive military and civil governments. Urban planners agree the city would not have had to suffer the present transport mess if a rail service up to Pakistan Secretariat had been introduced early.

Local politician Sheikh Rashid Ahmed had tried as railway minister to introduce mass transit between Rawalpindi and Islamabad but his proposal is now rusting in the files of Pakistan Railways and CDA.

If all goes well, the Margalla Express will start running between Lahore and Islamabad via Rawalpindi soon. It will be a daily service, departing Lahore at 7am and arriving Islamabad at noon. On the return journey, the train will leave Margalla Station at 5:25pm and reach Lahore at 22:20pm.

PR’s Divisional Commercial Officer Ashfaq Tabassum said the express train, having the capacity of 628 passengers in economy and air conditioned coaches, will have a special quota for the residents of Islamabad.

At the start the reservation will be manual. E-ticketing may be introduced later, depending on the business.
Passengers travelling from Islamabad will not have to pay additional charge as the fare between Islamabad and Lahore will be the same as in the case of Rawalpindi, the official said.

The Islamabad administration has designated three routes for public transport to facilitate passengers arriving at Margalla Station.

Railway officials were hopeful of the success of the train service as it would very convenient for the students of three universities - Numl, International Islamic University and Iqra University - in addition to the surrounding industrial zone.