Pakistan Railways begins digital overhaul under RAIN programme

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Railways has started a technology-led modernisation plan under a digitisation programme that includes a 1,700-kilometre fibre optic network and smart railway systems aimed at improving operations, freight handling and passenger services across the country.

According to official project documents cited in a press release, the initiative is part of Pakistan Railways’ Railway Advance Infrastructure Network (RAIN). The project is described in the documents as the department’s first major revenue-oriented digitisation effort and is intended to build a broad digital framework for railway operations while introducing advanced technology in several operational areas.

Under the plan, Pakistan Railways will develop a 1,700km fibre optic backbone to support digital operations. Of this, about 700km will consist of railway-owned fibre infrastructure, while the remaining 1,000km is to be developed with the Frontier Works Organization (FWO) through a strategic partnership. The project documents also state that bandwidth transmission will be arranged through public-private partnership mechanisms.

The programme also envisages the introduction of what the documents describe as Pakistan Railways’ first complete digital manifest system spanning its 78-year operational history. Freight operations are set to be fully digitised to improve tracking, documentation and overall efficiency. In addition, the documents show that Pakistan Railways plans to deploy GPS-based tracking for locomotives and rolling stock to strengthen monitoring and operational management.

Focus on freight and operations

The reported measures place particular emphasis on freight services and internal operational systems. The digital manifest system and GPS-based tracking are intended to improve visibility over cargo movement and railway assets, while the wider fibre optic network is meant to provide the infrastructure needed for digital operations.

The project documents, as referenced in the press release, present the RAIN programme as a central part of Pakistan Railways’ effort to modernise multiple areas of its network through technology-based systems.