Pakistan Revives Safari Tourist Train With Modern Comforts

Pakistan Railways has relaunched its upgraded Safari Tourist Train between Rawalpindi and Attock Khurd, offering a renewed heritage excursion through the Potohar region with enhanced onboard facilities aimed at attracting both local and international travel enthusiasts.

Weekly Heritage Journey From Rawalpindi to Attock Khurd

The relaunched Safari Tourist Train is scheduled to operate once a week on Sundays, departing from Rawalpindi Railway Station in the late morning and returning the same evening. Publicly available timetables indicate that the journey is designed as a full-day circular trip, allowing passengers to experience historic infrastructure and river landscapes without the need for overnight stays.

The route takes the train from Rawalpindi toward the Potohar plateau, with an early stop at Golra, on the outskirts of Islamabad, before continuing toward the Indus River. The line is known for its succession of tunnels, bridges, and cuttings that showcase classic colonial-era engineering across rolling hills and ravines in northern Punjab.

According to recent media coverage, the Safari Tourist Train crosses Attock’s 19th-century iron bridge over the Indus, passes the Ghazi Barotha Canal, and terminates at Attock Khurd station. The area has long been promoted as a vantage point for viewing the confluence of landscapes between Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, making the line a key part of Pakistan’s rail-tourism portfolio.

Reports indicate that the service includes a stop of several hours at or near Attock Khurd, providing time for passengers to explore the surroundings before the return leg to Rawalpindi. The format positions the train as a curated excursion rather than simple point-to-point transport, echoing similar heritage day-trip models seen in other rail tourism markets.

Upgraded Coaches and New Onboard Amenities

In its latest iteration, the Safari Tourist Train has been equipped with upgraded rolling stock and modern comforts aimed at families and leisure travelers. Information shared by Pakistan Railways and recent press reports describe refurbished air-conditioned coaches, redesigned seating, and an emphasis on a cleaner, more spacious interior environment.

Passengers are expected to have access to Wi-Fi, refreshments such as tea, biscuits, cold drinks, and full meals during the journey. Operators have also highlighted an effort to create a more organized onboard service environment, including clearer seat allocations and support for group and family bookings. The combination of connectivity and food service is being presented as a step toward aligning the tourist service with international rail-tourism standards.

Publicly available information suggests that entertainment and commentary elements may also be offered, with music and historical context about the Potohar region and the railway line. This is in keeping with earlier safari-style services in Pakistan, where the interpretive component of the journey has been used to add value beyond the basic train ride.

The Safari Tourist Train’s upgraded environment is being framed as part of a broader program to modernize select Pakistan Railways services, particularly those viewed as having strong tourism potential. The railway administration has repeatedly referenced comfort, cleanliness, and predictability as central to rebuilding public confidence and attracting higher-yield leisure traffic.

Revised Fares and Private-Sector Collaboration

Recent coverage indicates that Pakistan Railways has adjusted the fare structure for the Safari Tourist Train alongside the relaunch. Reports describe price increases in the range of 15 to 20 percent for economy and AC business classes, with tickets now generally falling between lower and upper mid-range brackets relative to other domestic excursion options.

Children’s discounts have reportedly been reduced compared with earlier versions of the service, a move that reflects efforts to improve the train’s financial viability after previous runs faced operational losses. Earlier safari services on similar routes were suspended after limited seasons, and the new pricing model appears designed to balance affordability with the need for cost recovery on fuel, maintenance, and staffing.

Public information also points to an expanded role for private partners in the operation of the train, particularly in catering and excursion management. The Safari Tourist Train is being operated under a public-private framework that allows external tourism and hospitality firms to handle on-ground services such as guided visits, meals, and entertainment, while Pakistan Railways retains responsibility for track, locomotives, and core operations.

This hybrid approach aligns with broader policy discussions in Pakistan about involving private capital and expertise in selected rail segments, especially in tourism-focused offerings where service quality and marketing are crucial to sustaining demand.

Highlighting Potohar’s Landscape, Heritage and Museums

The relaunched journey places particular emphasis on the Potohar region’s cultural and natural assets. The first stop at Golra Railway Station typically includes time for passengers to visit the Golra Railway Museum, which is known for its collection of vintage locomotives, carriages, signaling equipment, and archival material that charts the evolution of railways in the subcontinent.

From Golra onward, the line threads through the Margalla foothills and a series of smaller stations and bridges that have featured in earlier rail-tourism promotions. The route showcases a combination of rocky outcrops, cultivated fields, and river crossings that have long been cited by domestic media as an underutilized draw for day-trippers from Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

At the far end of the journey, Attock Khurd station and its environs serve as the focal point. The station building, a Victorian-era structure, and the nearby iron bridge over the Indus are frequently described in tourism literature as emblematic of Pakistan’s railway heritage. Travelers on previous safari runs have been encouraged to explore riverbank viewpoints and hilltop vantage points that frame the bridge and surrounding landscape.

By bundling these stops into a single, timed itinerary, the Safari Tourist Train is positioned as a curated introduction to the region for both first-time visitors and rail enthusiasts. The structure is intended to make it easier for travelers to experience multiple heritage elements in a single day without navigating separate road transfers or local transport.

Part of a Wider Rail Modernization and Tourism Push

The relaunch of the Safari Tourist Train coincides with broader modernization efforts within Pakistan Railways, including rehabilitation of key corridors and targeted improvements to passenger services. Public statements and policy documents over the past year have pointed to tourism-oriented trains as a visible way to demonstrate upgrades in rolling stock and service quality.

Earlier iterations of safari and heritage trains in Pakistan, including services launched in 2021 and revived in 2024 on similar alignments, operated only intermittently due to financial constraints and operational challenges. The latest relaunch between Rawalpindi and Attock Khurd, accompanied by refurbished coaches and revised pricing, is being framed as a more sustainable model that draws lessons from those earlier experiments.

Rail observers note that Pakistan is part of a wider regional trend in which national rail operators seek to capitalize on scenic routes and historic infrastructure as tourism assets. In this context, the Safari Tourist Train functions as both a showcase for the railway’s heritage and a test case for blending public infrastructure with privately managed tourism services.

For travel enthusiasts, the upgraded service offers an opportunity to experience one of the country’s most storied stretches of track with a higher level of comfort than many routine passenger trains. For Pakistan Railways, early ridership levels and customer feedback on the relaunched Safari Tourist Train are likely to inform future decisions on additional heritage routes and tourism-focused rail products.