The history of transport is as old as that of the man himself. On land, the sledge, the cart borne by man or drawn by animal and on water, the raft, the canoe and the boat moved by wood and wind are much older means of transport. The Railway is a younger mumber of the transport family and is a development of the hourse drawn wagan or the tramway. The first Railway built for general use was opened in 1804.

It was on 13th May 1861 that the first line was opened for traffic betwen karachi and kotri (105 miles) on the land, which is now Pakistan. The Railways network in this part of hte country was named as "North Western railway". It was subsequetly renamed as "Pakistan Western Railways" and now it is the "Pakistan Railways".