Karakoram Express

Karakoram Express (Urdu: قراقرم ایکسپریس) is a passenger train operated daily by Pakistan Railways between Karachi and Lahore.^[1] The trip takes approximately 17 hours and 45 minutes to cover a published distance of 1,241 kilometres (771 mi), traveling along a stretch of the Karachi–Peshawar Railway Line, Khanewal–Wazirabad Branch Line and Shahdara Bagh–Sangla Hill Branch Line.^[1] The train is named after the famous Karakoram mountain range of northern Pakistan.

Karakoram Express

Overview
Service type	Inter-city rail
First service	14 August 2002
Current operator(s)	Pakistan Railways
Route
Termini	Karachi Cantonment Lahore Junction
Stops	6
Distance travelled	1,241 kilometres (771 mi)
Average journey time	17 hours, 45 minutes
Service frequency	Daily
Train number(s)	41UP (Karachi→Lahore) 42DN (Lahore→Karachi)
On-board services
Class(es)	AC Business AC Standard Economy Class
Sleeping arrangements	Available
Catering facilities	Available
Technical
Track gauge	1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in)
Track owner(s)	Pakistan Railways
Route map Karakoram Express route map

History

Karakoram Express was inaugurated on 14 August 2002.^[2] This was during a period where Pakistan Railways went through several "facelifts" under Pervez Musharraf's government (including Karachi Express, Tezgam and Shalimar Express). Karakoram Express acquired the title of the "fastest train in Pakistan".^[3]

Route

• Karachi Cantonment–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

• Karachi Cantonment
• Hyderabad Junction
• Rohri Junction
• Bahawalpur
• Khanewal Junction
• Toba Tek Singh
• Faisalabad
• Lahore Junction^[4]

Equipment

The train operates 13 economy carriages, 4 AC Business carriages, 1 power van and 1 luggage van.^[5]