The Balochistan Assembly on Monday unanimously adopted a resolution seeking the extension of the Jinnah People’s Train Service from Kuchlak to Yaro Railway Station and the construction of a new 12-kilometre railway track from Yaro to Pishin, asking the provincial government to take the proposal to the federal Ministry of Railways.
The resolution was moved by Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam MPA Syed Zafar Agha. It calls on the provincial government to urge the Ministry of Railways to extend the existing service to Yaro and take practical steps to lay the 12km track onward to Pishin, so residents of Pishin division get “affordable and reliable transport facilities”. The session was chaired by Speaker Captain (retd) Abdul Khaliq Achakzai and began an hour behind schedule.
What the resolution actually approves
An important distinction: the Assembly did not approve construction, release funds or announce a timeline. What it approved unanimously was a resolution: a formal demand that the provincial government approach the Ministry of Railways and push for the extension. Any track-laying, budgeting and scheduling will depend on federal decisions that follow.
The resolution asks for two things. First, the existing Jinnah People’s Train service should run beyond Kuchlak to Yaro Railway Station. Second, a new 12-kilometre track should be laid from Yaro to Pishin.
Why Pishin wants the rail link
Agha told the house that Pishin division is densely populated and that large numbers of its residents travel to Quetta every day. Students head to the provincial capital for education, government and private-sector employees for work, and patients for medical treatment, alongside traders and other residents travelling on business.
The lack of convenient and timely transport has created real difficulties for these commuters, he said. For a division whose daily life runs through Quetta, a dependable rail link would mean cheaper fares, fixed timings and a safer journey than the road options people rely on today. The resolution specifically frames the extension as a facility for students, employees and patients, the groups that feel transport gaps most.
The Jinnah Train: from launch to the Pishin extension push
The demand did not come out of nowhere. The Jinnah People’s Train was inaugurated on September 29, 2026, by Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti and Federal Railways Minister Hanif Abbasi, as the province’s first mass-transit rail service. The 32-kilometre Sariab-Kuchlak corridor was restored and upgraded in about 120 days at a reported cost of Rs3 billion.
The service runs daily through seven stations: Kuchlak, Baleli, Sheikh Manda, GOR Halt, Quetta, Lora Karez Halt and Sariab. Its coaches were manufactured at Pakistan Railways’ Carriage Factory in Islamabad within four months. Fares are subsidised, and senior citizens and persons with disabilities travel free.
Agha noted that the Quetta-Kuchlak service had given citizens “an affordable and safe travel option”. Pishin division now wants the same. At the launch, the chief minister had already spoken of extending the network, naming Bostan and Mastung, with longer-term plans pointing toward Pishin as well. Monday’s resolution turns that longer-term idea into a formal provincial demand.
The Rs3 billion project ranks among the biggest recent transport investments in the province, arriving as the federal government accelerates the ML-1 railway upgrade and moves to outsource 13 trains by December, arriving as the federal government pushes its wider growth agenda.
What happens next
The ball is now with the provincial government, which the resolution asks to formally approach the Ministry of Railways. Until the ministry responds with a survey, a cost estimate and a funding decision, the Pishin extension remains a demand, not a project.
During the same session, a call-attention notice by Jamaat-i-Islami MPA Hidayatur Rehman Baloch regarding financial assistance and subsidies for livestock farmers was disposed of after an assurance from the parliamentary secretary concerned.
Frequently asked questions
What did the Balochistan Assembly approve on Monday?
It unanimously adopted a resolution seeking the extension of the Jinnah People’s Train from Kuchlak to Yaro Railway Station and a new 12km track from Yaro to Pishin. Construction itself was not approved or funded.
Where will the proposed track run?
The existing service would be extended from Kuchlak to Yaro Railway Station, and a new 12-kilometre track would be laid from Yaro to Pishin.
When was the Jinnah People’s Train launched?
The service was inaugurated on September 29, 2026, on the 32-kilometre Sariab-Kuchlak route in Quetta, after a track upgrade reported to cost Rs3 billion.
Who moved the resolution?
JUI MPA Syed Zafar Agha moved the resolution, arguing that Pishin division’s students, employees and patients need affordable transport to Quetta.
Source: Tribune report
