The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has decided to launch a train service in the Peshawar Valley in collaboration with the federal government.
According to official documents, the proposed project will be called the “Peshawar Valley Railway.” In this regard, the Chief Secretary of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has written to the Secretary and Chairman of Pakistan Railways regarding the plan.
The letter states that the provincial government is working on operating railcars and diesel multiple units (DMUs) using the existing railway infrastructure. Groundwork for the pre-feasibility study of the project has already started.
Under the first phase, work will begin on the 62-kilometer Peshawar-Nowshera-Jahangira railway section. In the second phase, work will be carried out on the 65-kilometer Nowshera-Mardan-Dargai railway section, the 27-kilometer Mardan-Charsadda section, and the 18-kilometer Peshawar-Jamrud section.
The plan also includes the 60-kilometer Kohat-Jand railway section. The letter states that cooperation between the KP government and Pakistan Railways was discussed during a meeting between the two sides.
According to the document, the suburban rail service will be implemented in phases under an open-access framework, while track access charges will be paid by mutual agreement for the use of Pakistan Railways’ existing infrastructure.
The KP government has also requested Pakistan Railways to nominate a technical team to represent the department in a joint working group for the project.
