The Doodh Patti – My Cup of Tea blog has an illustrated article on the history of the Khyber Pass railway, which almost – but not quite – ran to Afghanistan, stopping just short of the border.

The July 2007 issue of Railway Gazette International reports that Pakistan’s government has authorised the acquisition of 584 acres of land required to rebuild to 1 676 mm gauge the 295 km mothballed 762 mm gauge railway between Bostan and Zhob, and construct a 150 km extension to Dera Ismail Khan. This would cut 400 km from the distance from Quetta to Peshawar by rail.

If it ever happens, and who knows how likely that it, this line would be broadly parallel(-ish) to the Afghan border. Pakistan Railways has previously costed the project at Rs 6bn.