North Western State Railway in the context of "Sind–Sagar Railway"

Rail transport in Pakistan began in 1855 during the British Raj, when several railway companies began laying track and operating in present-day Pakistan. The country's rail system has been nationalised as Pakistan Railways (originally the Pakistan Western Railway). The system was originally a patchwork of local rail lines operated by small private companies, including the Scinde, Punjab and Delhi Railways and the Indus Steam Flotilla. In 1870, the four companies were amalgamated as the Scinde, Punjab & Delhi Railway. Several other rail lines were built shortly thereafter, including the Sind–Sagar and Trans–Baluchistan Railways and the Sind–Pishin, Indus Valley, Punjab Northern and Kandahar State Railways. These six companies and the Scinde, Punjab & Delhi Railway merged to form the North Western State Railway in 1886. It was later renamed as North-Western Railway in 1905, and few decades following the independence of Pakistan in 1947, the North Western Railway which mostly became part of Pakistani territory was renamed Pakistan Western Railway in 1961. It was later renamed as Pakistan Railways in 1974.

Pakistan Railways is the state-owned railway operator in Pakistan. Founded in 1886 as the North Western State Railway and headquartered in Lahore, it owns 7,789 kilometres (4,840 miles) of operational track across Pakistan, stretching from Peshawar to Karachi, offering both freight and passenger services, covering 479 operational stations across Pakistan.

In 2014, the Ministry of Railways launched Pakistan Railways Vision 2026, which seeks to increase PR's share in Pakistan's transportation sector from 4% to 20%, using the Rs. 886.68 billion (US$3.1 billion) China–Pakistan Economic Corridor rail upgrade. The plan includes building new locomotives, development and improvement of current rail infrastructure, an increase in average train speed, improved on-time performance and expansion of passenger services. The first phase of the project was completed in 2017, and the second phase is scheduled for completion by 2021. Among them is the ML-1 project, which will be completed in three phases at a cost of Rs. 1.11 trillion (US$3.8 billion). Until October 2022, these projects have not started construction or tendering.

The Sind–Pishin State Railway (reporting mark SPR) was the name of a broad gauge line that ran between Rohri, Sindh and Chaman, Balochistan. In 1886, the southern section of the Sind–Pishin State Railway was amalgamated with the Kandahar State Railway and several other railways to form the North Western State Railway (NWR). Today the line is still active and part of the Rohri–Chaman Railway Line.

The Sibi-Zardalu Branch Line, previously known as Kandahar State Railway opened in 1881, originally ran from Sibi and then on wards to Rindli, with the intention to reaching Quetta and onwards to Kandahar. However, the line never reached Kandahar. The Kandahar State Railway had its headquarters at Sibi, Balochistan. The Kandahar State Railway joined with the southern section of the Sind–Pishin State Railway and in 1886 amalgamated, with other railways, to form North Western State Railway (NWSR). The total length of this line is 140 kilometers with 10 railway stations. The railway line was closed in 2006 after a terrorist attack. Rehabilitation work started in 2016, and after several delays the railway line became partially-operational in 2023 up to Harnai.