Kotri–Attock Railway Line (Urdu: کوٹری–اٹک مرکزی ریل راستہ) (also referred to Main Line 2 or ML-2) is one of five main railway lines in Pakistan, operated and maintained by Pakistan Railways. The line begins from Kotri Junction and ends at Attock City Junction. The total length of this railway line is 1,427 kilometers (887 mi). There are 76 operational railway stations from Kotri Junction to Attock City Junction on this line.[2] Currently, no train is running on this railways line between Kot Adu Junction and Jacoababad Junction.
The present-day Kotri–Attock Railway Line was built as a patchwork of different railways during the 19th and 20th centuries by North Western State Railway and Pakistan Railways. The present day line consists of the following historic lines:
The Jacobabad–Kashmor Railway (also known as the Upper Sind Light Railway) opened in 1914 as a 762 mm (2 ft 6 in) narrow gauge railway line between Jacobabad and Kashmore.[4][5]
Larkana–Jacobabad Light Railway
The Larkana–Jacobabad Light Railway (also known as the Sind Light Railway) opened in 1924 as a 762 mm (2 ft 6 in) narrow gauge railway line between Larkana and Jacobabad.[6]
In 1956, Pakistan Western Railway converted the all 3 sections from 762 mm (2 ft 6 in) narrow gauge to 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) broad gauge. Between 1969 and 1973, Pakistan Western Railways completed the gap section between Kashmore–Mari Indus and the line was also extended from Larkana to Kotri, thus linking Kotri to Attock. In 2010, this line was designated Main Line 2 by Pakistan Railways to provide an alternative North–South route to the heavily used Karachi–Peshawar Railway Line.
