Millat, Awam, Mianwali and Karakoram Express go private this month; Tezgam among 13 more by December

Pakistan Railways will hand four well-known passenger trains to private operators this month: Millat Express, Awam Express, Mianwali Express and Karakoram Express, The Express Tribune reported on 4 October. A wider list of 13 trains, including Tezgam, Allama Iqbal Express and Karachi Express, is to be outsourced by 31 December 2026, according to Dawn.

If you travel on any of these trains, the timetable and the railway track stay the same; what changes is who runs the train's commercial side under contract. Six trains are already run this way.

Which trains are being outsourced

This month (October 2026), as first reported by The Express Tribune:

• Millat Express
• Awam Express
• Mianwali Express
• Karakoram Express

By 31 December 2026, the 13 trains named by Railways Minister Hanif Abbasi, as reported by Dawn:

1. Sandal Express
2. Allama Iqbal Express
3. Faiz Ahmad Faiz Express
4. Fareed Express
5. Sukkur Express
6. Babu Passenger
7. Bulleh Shah Passenger
8. Mohenjodaro Express
9. Lasani Express
10. Sialkot Express
11. Karachi Express
12. Bahauddin Zakariya Express
13. Tezgam

Karakoram Express (about 3,600 Google searches a month in Pakistan) and Tezgam (about 1,900) are among the most searched trains in the country, according to Semrush.

What the ministry says

Dawn reports that the advertisement and award of the contracts "would be completed soon", and that the department has a target of Rs 120 billion in combined passenger and freight revenue by 30 June, the end of the financial year. Freight earnings have overtaken passenger earnings for the first time, the minister said.

At the same meeting the minister ordered faulty brake cylinders, blocks and shoes to be replaced, and, according to the Tribune, that brake and luggage vans be outsourced under a uniform policy, CCTV be installed at workshops and yards, and vendors who delay deliveries be blacklisted.

What it means for passengers

• Tickets already booked stay valid. Neither report mentions any change to fares or bookings. Keep your ticket and check the train's status before you travel.
• Book through official channels. Our guide on booking Pakistan Railways tickets online lists the official app, website and counters, step by step.
• Fares are not announced. Neither report gives new fares or says whether the private operators may change them, so check the fare at the time you book, especially for economy seats on Awam and Millat Express.
• Keep your complaint route. Until the operators are named, complaints go through Pakistan Railways as before. We will add the operator for each train when the contracts are awarded.

Planning a long trip? Compare the cost with driving using our fuel cost calculator, with petrol at Rs 392.76 a litre (PSO ex-depot Karachi, today's price).