MARDAN: Residents of Mardan have strongly demanded the extension of Pakistan Railways' Rawal Express (105 Up and 106 Down), which currently operates between Rawalpindi and Lahore, to Mardan. They have appealed to the federal authorities and provincial leadership to take a special interest in the matter and raise it with the Ministry of Railways to alleviate the long-standing transport grievances of the local population.
Citizens pointed out that Mardan is a densely populated district with significant commercial activity and business importance, yet its residents lack direct access to modern railway facilities for long-distance travel, forcing them to rely heavily on buses, vans, and other road-based transport networks.
According to local representatives, thousands of traders, shopkeepers, business owners, daily commuters, and ordinary citizens from Mardan and its surrounding areas frequently travel to Lahore and other major Punjab cities for business and personal purposes. The absence of a direct train service has remained a persistent problem for the business community.
Traders, in particular, have to visit Lahore regularly to purchase goods such as textiles, footwear, general merchandise, electronics, and heavy machinery, which they subsequently bring back to Mardan for wholesale and retail distribution across the regional markets. They stated that long-distance bus journeys on congested highways are not only physically exhausting for families and elderly passengers but are also considerably more time-consuming and expensive compared to rail travel, which remains the safest and most economical mode of mass transit.
Furthermore, students and professionals commuting to educational and employment hubs in Rawalpindi and Islamabad face severe difficulties due to limited and expensive road transport options. A direct train connection would drastically reduce travel costs and ease the daily commute for hundreds of students and job seekers.
Local trade associations and civil society organizations have held several consultative meetings in Mardan to discuss the pressing issue and have announced plans to launch a formal campaign if their demands are not addressed by the federal government within a stipulated timeframe.
They emphasized that extending the Rawal Express to Mardan would not only generate substantial revenue for Pakistan Railways by tapping into a vast and eager commuter base but would also integrate the region more effectively into the national rail network, boosting trade, tourism, and economic growth.
Business leaders have specifically called upon Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Faisal Karim Kundi and local members of parliament to play an active role in lobbying the federal Ministry of Railways to conduct a feasibility study and operationalize the extension as soon as possible.
In response to these growing public demands, transport experts and railway analysts have echoed the sentiment, suggesting that with minor adjustments to the existing timetable and utilization of available rolling stock, Pakistan Railways can easily accommodate the extension to benefit the vibrant economy of Mardan.