KARACHI: The Sindh government has assured Pakistan Railways (PR) of full support for anti-encroachment operations to retrieve and protect railway land across the province.

The assurance was given by Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah to Federal Minister for Railways Muhammad Hanif Abbasi during a meeting here on Thursday.

Both sides agreed to accelerate the expansion and modernisation of railway services in the province. They decided to prioritise safety upgrades, restore suspended train operations and expedite pending infrastructure approvals.

The chief minister said that railway land was a national asset and must be protected. “The Sindh government will extend all necessary administrative and law-enforcement support to Pakistan Railways for the retrieval and protection of its land,” he said.

Railways minister Abbasi promises CM Murad to restore Mohenjo Daro Express next month

The federal minister appreciated the provincial government’s cooperation and said that Pakistan Railways would work closely with the provincial authorities to protect its property and improve the utilisation of railway assets.

The chief minister urged the federal minister to immediately restore the Mohenjo Daro Express, saying its suspension had caused serious difficulties for people in the area.

“People in the area are facing serious difficulties because of the suspension of the train service. I request the federal minister to restore the service at the earliest,” he said.

Mr Abbasi assured him that the service would be resumed next month, in September.

Rehabilitation of 100 unmanned level crossings approved

The meeting approved the rehabilitation / upgradation of 100 unmanned level crossings into manned level crossings to reduce accidents and improve safety for motorists, pedestrians and passengers across the province.

The scheme has an estimated cost of Rs5.913 billion and is planned for implementation during the current financial year.

The chief minister said that the safety of people using railway crossings was a shared responsibility.

“We are ready to provide every possible support from the provincial side to make these crossings safer,” he added.

Mr Abbasi assured full cooperation from Pakistan Railways in implementing the safety initiative.

The meeting also reviewed several Sindh government road projects awaiting no-objection certificates, approvals or railway shutdown schedules.

The schemes include the 9.66-kilometre Tando Jam Bypass Road with two overhead bridges; bridges on Northern Bypass Road in Tando Allahyar; dualisation of the 31.40-kilometre Tando Allahyar-Tando Adam Road; widening of two railway underpasses in Larkana; and construction of an overhead pre-stressed bridge at Gadani Phatak in Sukkur.

The chief minister said that delays in railway approvals were affecting public infrastructure projects and requested early clearance.

The railway minister assured the chief minister that all pending permissions from PR would be issued shortly so that these important development projects did not face further delays.

Both sides also discussed upgrading branch railway routes in the province through Diesel Multiple Units (DMUs), following the pattern of initiatives undertaken by Punjab, to connect smaller towns with major urban centres.

Progress on the upgradation of Rohri Railway Station was also reviewed at the meeting, with the federal minister assuring that the work would be completed by December.

The chief minister told the federal minister that Rohri deserved special attention because of its importance as a major railway junction.

The development of greenbelts and linear plantations along the railway tracks between Karachi Cantonment and Jumma Goth was also discussed, with the chief minister directing provincial authorities to coordinate with PR on their maintenance.

The meeting was attended by Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah, Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab and senior officials of both the provincial and federal governments.

In conclusion, both sides agreed to maintain close coordination to improve railway connectivity, enhance passenger facilities, strengthen safety arrangements and expedite infrastructure development across the province.

Published in Dawn, August 28th, 2026