How to Check Pakistan Railways Fares, With 2026 Prices on 5 Routes

The fastest way to check a Pakistan Railways fare is to search your two stations and date in the official Rabta app or at pakrailways.gov.pk. You do not need an account. Every train on the route appears with its price for each class, from Rs 3,750 in economy on the cheapest Karachi to Lahore trains.

We ran the same fare search the Rabta booking site runs on 27 September 2026, for travel on 5 October 2026, on five main routes. The prices below are what it returned for one adult seat. They change when Pakistan Railways revises fares, so treat them as a guide and check again before you pay.

The fare depends on three things: the distance, the class and the train. Two trains on the same route can differ by Rs 1,850 in economy alone.

Check your exact train fare in the Rabta app

Search your boarding station, destination and date in Rabta, the Pakistan Railways booking app and website. Each train then shows a price for every class it carries. The search is open without login, and the price shown is for one adult ticket.

1. Open the Rabta app or go to pakrailways.gov.pk in a browser.
2. Pick your "From" and "To" stations. Choose the exact station, because Karachi Cantt and Karachi City, or Lahore Junction and Lahore Cantt, are listed separately.
3. Pick the travel date and a time slot, or leave it on the whole day.
4. Tap search. Each train card lists its classes, such as Economy (Seat), Economy (Berth), AC Standard, AC Business, AC Parlor and AC Sleeper, with the price and the number of free seats.
5. Compare the trains before you choose. The fastest train is usually the most expensive one.

The search stops at the price. Paying, picking a seat and downloading the e-ticket are part of booking train tickets online, which needs an account.

We also ran the Lahore to Rawalpindi search for the same day, 27 September. The four intercity trains showed the same prices as they did for 5 October. So the search price did not change with how early we looked.

Karachi to Lahore fares run from Rs 3,750 to Rs 14,850

Nine trains ran from Karachi Cantt to Lahore Junction on 5 October 2026. Economy costs Rs 3,750 on Awam, Allama Iqbal, Fareed and Khyber Mail, and Rs 5,600 on Green Line. AC Sleeper costs Rs 14,050 on Khyber Mail and Rs 14,850 on Tezgam and Karachi Express.

Green Line also sells AC Parlor at Rs 13,200. It is the fastest train on the list at 16 hours 35 minutes. Fareed Express is the slowest at 26 hours 15 minutes and costs the same as Khyber Mail in economy.

Lahore to Rawalpindi fares start at Rs 1,100

Lahore to Rawalpindi is the cheapest of the five routes. Economy costs Rs 1,100 on Rawal Express, Subak Raftar, Subak Kharram and Islamabad Express, and Rs 2,350 on Green Line. AC Sleeper runs only on Khyber Mail, Tezgam and Jaffar Express.

One detail surprised us. On the four intercity trains, AC Parlor costs Rs 2,400, which is more than AC Business at Rs 2,150. Check the actual class price in the app rather than assuming the higher sounding name costs more.

Karachi to Rawalpindi, Lahore to Multan and Karachi to Peshawar fares

Karachi to Rawalpindi costs Rs 4,200 to Rs 6,350 in economy. Lahore to Multan Cantt costs Rs 1,150 to Rs 1,900. Only three trains ran from Karachi Cantt to Peshawar Cantt on 5 October, at Rs 4,800 to Rs 4,900 in economy and up to Rs 18,250 in AC Sleeper.

Karachi to Peshawar takes 30 to 34 hours. For that long a trip, the gap between economy and AC Standard is more than Rs 6,000. If the price of a train is too much, compare it against Daewoo Express fares on the road, which work on a different price list.

Train names set the price, not just the distance

Pakistan Railways prices trains in groups. Its fare table puts Khyber Mail, Awam, Allama Iqbal, Hazara, Rehman Baba and others in the lower group. Karachi Express, Karakoram, Jaffar, Tezgam and special trains sit in a higher group. Green Line has its own rates.

That grouping comes from the passenger fare table published on pakrail.gov.pk, dated 20 April 2025. The same table sets the rules below.

• Children aged 3 and under 10 pay half the adult fare, never less than the minimum fare.
• Economy berths carry a surcharge of Rs 50 up to 500 km and Rs 100 above 500 km. The table says the surcharge is already part of the fare.
• A 5 per cent lower fare applies to advance reservations made more than 48 hours before departure. Green Line's own rules repeat it.
• Insurance is included in the fare.

We could not see the 5 per cent advance discount in the app's search price. The price was the same for a same day search and one eight days ahead. It may be applied at payment, so check the final amount before you pay.

The March 2026 fare rise is announced, but the new table is not posted

Pakistan Railways announced a rise in March 2026, reported as 5 per cent in economy and 10 per cent in AC classes from 9 March, after a diesel price increase. The newest table on pakrail.gov.pk is still dated 20 April 2025.

We checked the fare page's list of tables as captured on 13 September 2026. It had no 2026 table. On 27 September, pakrail.gov.pk returned a "service unavailable" error, so we could not check it again that night.

The app's prices are clearly higher than the 2025 table. The app charged Rs 4,900 for Tezgam economy from Karachi to Lahore. In the 2025 table, Tezgam's group does not reach Rs 4,900 in economy until 1,461 km, a longer trip than Karachi to Lahore. So the app is the fare to trust, and the percentages remain reported, not confirmed from a published table. The rise followed the March diesel price changes.

Concessions for senior citizens, students and disabled passengers

The fare table lists concessions. Passengers aged 75 and over travel free in economy on all trains. Those aged 65 to under 75 get 50 per cent off economy and 25 per cent off AC. Disabled persons with the special CNIC and students get 50 per cent.

The senior citizen discount for ages 65 to 74 is not allowed on Green Line, Karakoram, Karachi Express, Pak Business, Shalimar, Millat, Rawal Express, Islamabad non-stop trains and outsourced trains. Green Line allows no concession at all except military vouchers and warrants.

These concessions come from the 2025 table and are worked out on the base fare. Ask at the booking office which ones the app accepts, because most need a document checked in person. If your plans change later, the train ticket refund rules decide how much comes back.

Common questions

How can I check the Pakistan Railways fare online?

Search your stations and date in the Rabta app or at pakrailways.gov.pk. Each train shows its price by class. No login is needed to see fares.

What is the train fare from Karachi to Lahore in 2026?

Economy costs Rs 3,750 to Rs 5,600, depending on the train. AC Standard costs Rs 7,600 to Rs 11,650, and AC Sleeper costs Rs 14,050 to Rs 14,850. These are prices we saw for 5 October 2026.

What is the cheapest train from Lahore to Rawalpindi?

Rawal Express, Subak Raftar, Subak Kharram and Islamabad Express all cost Rs 1,100 in economy. They also take about 4 to 5 hours.

Do children pay full fare on Pakistan Railways?

No. Children aged 3 and under 10 pay half the adult fare, according to the fare table. It is never less than the minimum fare.

Is travel free for senior citizens on Pakistan Railways?

Yes, in economy only, for passengers aged 75 and over. Those aged 65 to under 75 get 50 per cent off economy and 25 per cent off AC, with limits.

Did Pakistan Railways increase fares in 2026?

A rise from 9 March 2026 was announced, reported as 5 per cent in economy and 10 per cent in AC. The revised table is not yet on pakrail.gov.pk, so check the app price.

Last checked and sources

We ran the fare search used by the Rabta booking site at pakrailways.gov.pk on 27 September 2026, for travel on 5 October 2026, from Karachi Cantt to Lahore Junction, Lahore Junction to Rawalpindi and back, Karachi Cantt to Rawalpindi, Lahore Junction to Multan Cantt and Karachi Cantt to Peshawar Cantt. We repeated Lahore to Rawalpindi for 27 September. We read the Passenger Fare Table dated 20 April 2025 from pakrail.gov.pk, including its instructions and concession pages, using an archived copy because the site was returning an error that night. The March 2026 percentages are reported and not confirmed from a published table. Fares change, so confirm the price in the app before paying.