According to the announcement, made by Chief Operating Officer Amir Ali Baloch, about 2,200 Sikh pilgrims arrived in Pakistan on Tuesday through Wagah to take part in the celebrations. The special services are intended to make their travel to the holy city and back more straightforward during a busy week of religious observance.
The planned services include a train from Karachi Cantonment to Nankana Sahib, and a Lahore to Nankana Sahib service on 7 November. A return service from Nankana Sahib to Karachi Cantonment is planned for 8 November, alongside a Nankana Sahib to Attari return service on the same day and a shuttle between Nankana Sahib and Lahore for pilgrims.
Nankana Sahib holds deep significance for Sikhs as the birthplace of Guru Nanak, and the birthday celebrations draw large numbers of devotees each year. Special trains are a familiar part of the arrangements, because they allow pilgrims travelling from different parts of the country to reach the city together and return home after the main events.
The arrival of pilgrims through Wagah is itself a well-established feature of the celebrations. Pilgrims cross into Pakistan for the festivities, and railway services form one of the main ways they move onward to Nankana Sahib, where the central gatherings take place.
For the railway, the week presents both an operational task and a public service. Running extra trains on set dates helps spread the load across services, rather than leaving pilgrims to rely only on regular trains that may already be full during the celebration period.
The announcement sets out the dates and routes clearly, so that pilgrims and their families can plan their journeys in advance. With the main celebrations falling within the 4 to 8 November window, the services are timed to cover both the arrival and the return journeys.
As the celebrations continue, the special trains are expected to carry pilgrims to Nankana Sahib and then home again, closing a week in which the city once again becomes the centre of devotion for Sikhs marking the birth of their first Guru.
