Pak Railways suspends outsourcing of passenger trains, orders open bidding process

Pakistan Railways has suspended the recent process of outsourcing passenger trains to the private sector, following directions from Federal Minister for Railways Hanif Abbasi.

According to sources, the minister instructed senior officials to conduct the process through open bidding to ensure transparency and competitiveness.

Railway authorities had earlier decided to outsource 11 trains in collaboration with private operators.

The technical bids for the project had already been opened, while the financial bids were also unsealed a few days ago.

Sources revealed that private companies submitted financial bids for nine of the trains, with Pakistan Railways receiving offers totaling Rs7.903 billion.

During a high-level meeting chaired by Minister Abbasi, it was decided that the outsourcing of passenger services would be undertaken through an open auction process, rather than the earlier method.

The minister emphasized that transparency and fair competition must remain at the center of the initiative to improve efficiency and ensure better services for passengers.