Rs71 billion scandal exposed: PM Shehbaz inaugurates refurbished train with only 4 new coaches
Pakistan Railways officials have allegedly misled Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif by branding a refurbished train as a new service, 24NewsHD TV reported on Tuesday.
According to official sources, the recently inaugurated Pak Business Express by PM Shehbaz Sharif, hailed as a modern addition to the rail network, consists largely of old coaches that were repainted and refurbished to appear new.
Out of the 17 coaches making up the train, only four—specifically four newly-built AC standard coaches—were constructed in Pakistan.
The incident has raised serious questions about transparency, mismanagement, and the overall efficiency of Pakistan Railways.
The remaining 13 coaches, including ten economy-class Chinese-made bogies, an old dining car, a brake van, and a power plant coach, were all reused and cosmetically enhanced.
Adding to the controversy, the train does not include any business-class coaches, a core component of the "Pak Business Express" branding.
Railway sources further revealed that the business-class bogies were removed from the composition due to the absence of an additional onboard power plant, which is essential for powering high-end compartments.
Despite the name “Pak Business Express,” the train ironically lacks actual business-class services, undermining the premise of the entire launch.
The reconfiguration has left many questioning the rationale behind the launch and its presentation as a “modern service.”
The scandal has further deepened with disclosures regarding an earlier Chinese coaches and wagons project linked to the Business Express. Documents showed that the project—initially launched in 2017 with an estimated cost of Rs. 31 billion—has been subject to extensive delays and mismanagement.
It finally neared completion after eight years and cost over Rs. 71 billion, marking a staggering 127% cost overrun.
According to experts, this drastic budget hike is among the worst examples of project mismanagement in Pakistan Railways’ history.
The prolonged delays in completing Chinese-designed coaches in local workshops not only inflated costs but also highlighted inefficiencies in the planning and execution stages.
While Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was led to inaugurate the train as a modern achievement, the reality behind the scenes tells a starkly different story—one of refurbished parts, missing promised features, and monumental cost overruns, all pointing to systemic dysfunction within Pakistan Railways.
This incident now serves as a critical test of accountability and reform for the Ministry of Railways, with growing public demand for a thorough investigation into the deceptive launch and misappropriation of taxpayer resources.