Pakistan Railways Moves Diesel to Peshawar by Train as KP Motorways Stay Closed

Pakistan Railways has started carrying diesel to Peshawar by freight train, so that fuel depots in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa keep getting supplies while the motorways into the province stay shut. A train with 750,000 litres of diesel from Rawalpindi reached Peshawar on Saturday 26 September 2026, according to Radio Pakistan. A second train with one million litres was due from Mahmood Kot the same night.

Railways Minister Muhammad Hanif Abbasi has ordered diesel to be moved by train every day. The aim, in the official words, is "an uninterrupted supply" to the depots of Pakistan State Oil (PSO), the state-owned fuel company.

The trains matter because the roads do not work right now. When we read the Motorway Police travel board on the evening of Sunday 27 September, the M-1 Peshawar Motorway and the M-14 to Dera Ismail Khan were still closed in both directions.

Two fuel trains carry 1.75 million litres to Peshawar

The first freight train brought 750,000 litres of diesel from Rawalpindi to Peshawar on 26 September. A second, carrying one million litres from Mahmood Kot in south Punjab, was scheduled to arrive that night. Together that is 1.75 million litres.

Radio Pakistan did not say whether the second train arrived on time, and we have not seen a later official update. The minister has asked for daily runs, but no daily volume has been announced.

The plan was made before the roads closed

The rail plan was agreed on Thursday 24 September at a meeting chaired by Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik. Pakistan Railways promised to give as many tank wagons as possible to move diesel, "particularly to ensure continuity of supplies in KP during any disruption to road transportation", the government release says.

At the same meeting, according to the Press Information Department release:

• PSO said it had already moved extra stocks to critical depots, expecting possible disruption.
• The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) said it had set up a control room to keep fuel reaching petrol pumps.
• The minister ordered steps to keep crude oil reaching Attock Refinery, so it does not have to shut down for lack of transport.

The release does not use the word shortage. Nor have we seen any official figure for how many pumps in KP are running dry, so we are not saying there is one.

Motorways into KP were still closed on Sunday evening

The M-1 from Swabi to the Islamabad toll plaza and the M-14 from Hakla to Yarik were both closed in both directions "due to Law & Order Situation" when we checked the NHMP board on Sunday evening. Heavy vehicles were still barred from the M-2 northbound at Kot Momin.

That matters for fuel tankers. They are heavy vehicles, so the M-2 closure stops them heading north, and the M-1 closure blocks the fastest route to Peshawar.

The motorways had been expected to reopen at 6am on Sunday. The board showed that had not happened. The M-1 entry was last updated at 14:56 on Sunday.

The GT Road from Peshawar to Islamabad was shown as clear, in an entry last updated at 07:02 on Sunday. Roads around Islamabad have been closed since 23 September.

What drivers in KP can do

The government says supplies are being kept up, but nobody has published pump-by-pump figures for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. So fill up before long trips, use the open GT Road, and report any pump that refuses the subsidy or gives short measure.

1. Fill up before a long drive rather than on the way. Some routes are longer while the motorways are shut.
2. Use the GT Road for Peshawar to Islamabad trips while the M-1 is closed, and check the NHMP board before you leave.
3. If a pump is short-measuring, you can complain about a petrol pump to the authorities.
4. If you are registered for the fuel subsidy, keep your token. The Petroleum Minister has told OGRA to act against any pump that refuses eligible customers.

The subsidy is still running. On 27 September Ali Pervaiz Malik said more than six million vehicle owners have registered for the Rs 100 a litre petrol subsidy, according to Radio Pakistan.

The fuel subsidy payments are still catching up

By 24 September, payments under the Prime Minister's Fuel Relief Scheme had reached more than 8,500 of about 10,000 petrol pumps, the ministry said. The minister ordered the rest cleared quickly, including cases held up by wrong account numbers.

That gap is worth knowing. A pump still waiting for its money may be slower to honour the subsidy. The minister's order to OGRA is aimed at exactly that.

Common questions

Why is diesel going to Peshawar by train?

Because the main motorways into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are closed, and heavy vehicles are barred from parts of the M-2. The government arranged rail transport on 24 September to keep PSO depots supplied.

How much diesel has reached Peshawar by train?

750,000 litres arrived from Rawalpindi on 26 September. A second train with one million litres from Mahmood Kot was due that night.

Is there a fuel shortage in KP?

No official body has said so. PSO said it had moved extra stocks to key depots before the disruption.

Is the M-1 Peshawar Motorway open?

No, not when we checked the NHMP board on the evening of 27 September. It was closed from Swabi to Islamabad in both directions.

What happens to a pump that refuses the fuel subsidy?

The Petroleum Minister has told OGRA to act against such pumps. OGRA has also set up a control room for fuel supply.

Last checked and sources

Last checked on 27 September 2026, at about 19:40 PKT. The two diesel trains, their volumes and the daily order are from Radio Pakistan, 26 September. The 24 September meeting, the rail wagons for KP, PSO's extra stocks, OGRA's control room, Attock Refinery and the 8,500 of 10,000 pumps paid are from PID release PR No. 265. The six million subsidy registrations are from Radio Pakistan, 27 September. Road status is from the NHMP travel advisory, read on the evening of 27 September. We could not confirm whether the second train arrived on time, or the state of individual pumps in KP.