First-Time Traveller Guide
For any journey over eight hours, book a sleeping class — AC Sleeper or AC Business. Sitting upright overnight is exhausting, and berths on the popular expresses (Tezgam, Green Line, Business Express) sell out 7–21 days before departure. Book online through the official Pakistan Railways e-ticketing site or at any station booking office with your CNIC.
Carry your CNIC
Every passenger needs a valid national identity card or passport matching the ticket name. Ticket checkers verify identity on board, and a mismatch means a fine. Children under 5 travel free; ages 5–12 at half fare.
What to pack
Essentials: your CNIC, ticket confirmation, a fully charged phone and a power bank (socket availability is inconsistent), cash for on-board vendors, and water and snacks for at least half the journey. Comfort: a light shawl (AC coaches run cold), wet wipes and toilet paper (rarely provided), and earphones. Keep luggage to two medium bags — overhead racks are limited.
At the station
Arrive 45 minutes early at major stations. Your platform is announced 20–30 minutes before departure. Find your coach by its painted code (S-2 = AC Sleeper coach 2) — walk the platform rather than boarding the first door. Keep valuables in a front pocket; station stops are when petty theft happens.
Travelling solo as a woman
Most trains have designated women's compartments — book these, or choose AC Business where closed two-berth coupes give privacy. Travelling with a group is always more comfortable.
The golden rule: check the live board before leaving home. If your train is running two hours late, there's no reason to wait on a platform — leave when the ETA says so, not when the timetable does.
Why Trains Run Late — and How to Read It
Pakistan Railways runs largely on a single-track network: trains in opposite directions share the line and wait at crossing stations for oncoming services. One late express pushes back the crossing schedule for several others, and the delay ripples across hundreds of kilometres within hours. Other causes: locomotive failures (2–4 hours while a replacement is dispatched), planned slow zones over track under repair, signal failures at junctions, and platform congestion at hubs like Lahore Junction.
How the delay figure is computed
The tracker compares each train's actual GPS position against where the timetable says it should be, then uses its current speed to estimate arrival at every remaining stop. ETAs are typically within ±5 minutes for the next one or two stations, ±15 further out.
Reading the board
0 to +10 min — essentially on time; go as planned. +15 to +45 min — moderate; may recover partially but rarely clears fully. +60 min or more — significant; stay home, keep the tracker open, and share the live link with whoever is picking you up so they can time their drive too.
See today's delayed trains
UP and DOWN Trains, Explained
Every Pakistan Railways train carries a direction label. Trains heading north away from Karachi — toward Lahore, Rawalpindi or Peshawar — are UP trains; trains heading back toward Karachi are DOWN. The convention dates to the colonial era and now applies purely directionally across the whole 7,791 km network.
The numbering rule
Odd numbers are always UP, even numbers always DOWN. Tezgam runs as 7UP from Karachi to Lahore and 8DN on the return. On every RailLive page the direction is shown beside the train number, so you always know which way a service is heading.
Reading a timetable
The ARR column is scheduled arrival, DEP is departure, in 24-hour time (14:30 = 2:30 PM). Identical ARR and DEP means a stop under a minute. A gap of five minutes or more usually means the train waits to cross an oncoming service on single track. Not every train runs daily — check the "Runs" column on any schedule before heading to the station.
Booking, Payment and Refunds
Three ways to book: online through the official Pakistan Railways e-ticketing website (card, EasyPaisa or JazzCash), at any station booking office (8 AM – 8 PM daily, bring your CNIC and cash), or with assistance via helpline 117, which runs 24/7 for schedules, bookings and complaints.
Advance booking
Seats open up to 30 days before departure. For Eid travel, special trains are added on the busiest routes and sell out within hours of opening — book three to four weeks ahead.
Cancellations and refunds
Refunds are available before departure with a deduction that grows as departure approaches — cancel as early as possible. Take the original ticket and the CNIC used at booking to a booking office; online bookings can be cancelled through the e-ticketing account. After departure, unused tickets are generally not refundable.
Fares on RailLive are estimates from PR's distance-based structure — always confirm the final price at booking. Estimate your fare →