Pakistan Railways is aiming to earn Rs160 billion by the end of the current financial year, Railways Minister Hanif Abbasi said on Saturday, after the department posted the highest revenue in its history last year. Abbasi was speaking at the Pakistan Tourism Festival in Islamabad, where he said the department had earned more than Rs100 billion during the previous financial year.

Official figures show Pakistan Railways earned a record Rs115.157 billion in the 2025-26 financial year, a rise of 24.19 per cent on the previous year. Passenger revenue reached a record Rs50.59 billion, while freight earnings rose to Rs40.78 billion. The result was the first time the railway had crossed the Rs115 billion mark, and followed earnings of Rs92.73 billion in 2024-25 and Rs88.79 billion the year before.

### Reforms credited for the turnaround

Abbasi credited the improvement to administrative reforms, better financial management and stronger commercial performance, including growth in passenger, freight and property-related income. The minister has previously said the railway's operating ratio improved from 96 per cent to 84 per cent as the reforms took hold, and that outsourcing five passenger trains to the private sector had generated Rs3 billion.

### A steep target

Reaching Rs160 billion would require a further increase of nearly 39 per cent on last year's record, a steep target for a department that spent years in financial difficulty. The minister did not set out how the additional revenue would be raised, but the department has pointed to freight growth, commercial use of railway land and further outsourcing as the main drivers.