Internal transport
Patterns and density
- Roads form the densest network, especially in the Punjab and Sindh plains, where flat land and many cities make roads and rail easy to build. Main routes: the Grand Trunk Road (N-5) from Karachi to Peshawar through Lahore, Rawalpindi; the Indus Highway (N-55); the motorways (M-2 Lahore–Islamabad, M-1 Peshawar–Islamabad, M-9 Karachi–Hyderabad, M-3 and M-4) and the Karakoram Highway (KKH).
- Other roads: the RCD Highway from Karachi through Khuzdar and Quetta to Taftan on the Iran border; the Makran Coastal Highway (N-10), about 650 km along the Arabian Sea from Karachi through Ormara and Pasni to Gwadar, which opened up the fishing coast; and roads from Sukkur and Lahore to Quetta. Road transport carries most of the country's passengers and well over half of its freight.
- Railways (Pakistan Railways) run mainly along the Indus plain: the main line from Karachi to Peshawar via Lahore, and links to Quetta; few lines in the mountains and Balochistan.
- Air transport: international airports at Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar, Quetta, Multan, Faisalabad, Sialkot; domestic flights link the north (Gilgit, Skardu), where roads are slow, to the big cities.
- Regional variation: dense networks in the Punjab, thinner in Sindh, and very sparse in Balochistan and the mountains.
Factors that help and hinder
| Help | Hinder |
|---|---|
| flat plains (cheap to build), large populations and trade | mountains (costly tunnels and bridges, landslides, snow), deserts and sparse population in Balochistan |
| rivers are crossed by bridges (a barrier but many bridges exist) | floods wash away roads and tracks; monsoon damage; heat damages road surfaces |
| government investment and foreign loans (the CPEC road and rail projects) | lack of money for maintenance; poor construction; overloaded trucks |
| trade routes to ports and borders | security problems in some regions |
Recent improvements and new developments
- Motorways (M-2 was opened in 1997), widened highways and bypasses; the CPEC road projects.
- Motorway details: M-2 Lahore–Islamabad (about 367 km, 1997), M-1 Peshawar–Islamabad (about 155 km, 2007), M-3 (a short link to Faisalabad), M-4 (Faisalabad–Multan, in stages) and M-9 Karachi–Hyderabad (about 136 km).
- Why railways declined: lack of investment, worn-out track and old locomotives, single lines, competition from roads, poor management and ticketing, overstaffing and losses. The network is about 8,000 km, mostly broad gauge, with some narrow-gauge lines. Improvements: diesel engines replacing steam, faster express trains, electrification of the Lahore–Khanewal line, computer ticketing, and the Karakoram Express (new Chinese-built coaches). The Karachi Circular Railway (1969) carried commuters but closed in the 1990s and has been proposed for revival.
- Railways: new locomotives and coaches, the ML-1 upgrade plans (Karachi–Peshawar), and some new express trains.
- Airports: the new Islamabad International Airport (opened 2018) and Gwadar airport.
- Feasibility of new schemes: they need huge funds, but they would cut journey times, boost trade and development; an issue is how to pay for them and the maintenance costs.
Comparing the modes
| Advantages | Disadvantages | |
|---|---|---|
| Road | door-to-door, flexible, reaches villages, good for short and medium distances | congestion, accidents, air pollution, expensive per tonne for long distances |
| Rail | cheap for heavy goods and long distances, safe, less polluting | fixed routes, slow, poor service and delays, needs roads at each end |
| Air | fastest, good for long distances and remote areas, and for high-value or perishable goods and business travel | expensive, small loads, weather disruptions, airports far from towns |
International transport
Roads, railways and passes crossing the border
| Route | Pass or crossing | To |
|---|---|---|
| Karakoram Highway | Khunjerab Pass (4,693 m, usually open only in summer; around May to November) | China (Kashgar) |
| Peshawar–Kabul road and rail to Landi Kotal | Khyber Pass at Torkham | Afghanistan (Jalalabad, Kabul) |
| Quetta–Kandahar road and railway | Bolan Pass and Chaman (the Khojak tunnel) | Afghanistan |
| Quetta–Taftan road and railway | Taftan | Iran |
| Lahore–Amritsar | Wagah–Attari | India (road and rail, with limited use since 1999–2019 and often closed) |
Ports and airports
- Karachi (Keamari, the older Karachi Port, and Port Qasim), the main sea ports, handling most of the trade. Gwadar is a deep-sea port on the Balochistan coast, developed with Chinese help (CPEC), to give a route for China and Central Asia.
- Port Qasim (on the Gharo Creek, south-east of Karachi, opened around 1980) is a deep-water port with an industrial zone, built to serve the steel mills and to ease pressure on Karachi Port. The Pakistan National Shipping Corporation (PNSC) (1979) runs Pakistan's own merchant ships. Gwadar (long planned, developed with Chinese help from 2001, and in use from 2008) is meant to serve as a short route for Central Asia and China.
- International airports (Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad and others) connect Pakistan with the Gulf, Europe and North America. PIA (Pakistan International Airlines, formed in 1955) is the national airline; air travel is fastest and the only practical link with some remote mountain areas.
Factors affecting location and development
Cross-border roads and railways: the terrain (passes in the mountains), relations with neighbours (borders closed at times), trade demand, customs facilities. Seaports: deep, sheltered water, good road and rail links to the interior, and space for storage. Airports: flat land, near large cities, and demand.
Dry ports
A dry port is an inland terminal, linked to a sea port by road or rail, where customs clearance is done and containers are handled. Examples: Lahore, Faisalabad, Peshawar, Quetta, and Sialkot. What a dry port needs: an efficient rail link with container trains, customs staff, large storage areas and sheds, and cold stores for perishables. Why developed: to reduce congestion at the sea ports, speed up clearance, cut costs for exporters inland, and create jobs in the inland cities.
Telecommunications
- Radio, television, telephones, mobile phones, fax, e-mail and the internet provide fast communication. Education: distance learning (the Allama Iqbal Open University), online lessons; industry and trade: orders, payments and marketing reach markets in other countries; services: banking, call centres, e-commerce, health advice (telemedicine).
- Problems: mountains and remote areas lack coverage, cost of phones and data, power cuts, low literacy, and security.
- Role in development: it brings information, jobs and links to markets (farmers can check prices), speeds government services, and helps remote places to connect.
Outline. Road: flexible, door to door, reaches villages; but congestion, accidents and cost on long routes. Rail: cheap for bulk goods over long distances and safer; but fixed routes, delays and poor service. Judgement: rail suits bulk goods over long distances; roads for short and flexible deliveries; Pakistan relies heavily on roads, so investment in rail would help.