Transportation

Road

The majority of roads are under the control of National Highway Authority, linking Faisalabad with other cities in the country. Faisalabad is connected to various parts of the country by several National Highways and Motorways:

• The Grand Trunk Road, otherwise known as GT Road, is the original highway that links Faisalabad to most parts of Pakistan as well as neighboring countries. GT Road was the main highway that ran through the district before the completion of the motorways.

• The M3 Motorway (Pakistan) or M3 is an access-controlled motorway connecting Faisalabad with the M2 Motorway (Pakistan) or M2 via the Pindi-Bhattian Interchange. The M2 was the first motorway connecting Rawalpindi and Islamabad to Lahore.

• The M4 Motorway (Pakistan) or M4 is an access-controlled motorway connecting Faisalabad to Multan. The M4 further joined the M5 which connects to the southern city of Sukkur.

The district government has worked with the National Highway Authority to connect Multan and Faisalabad. The M4 was designed to reduce congestion, boost trade, and reduce travel times and transportation costs from Faisalabad, a major textile hub to the major trade Centre of Multan.

Buses

The Faisalabad Urban Transport System Service (FUTS) is the main bus operator within the city. It was launched in 1994 and operates a number of large CNG buses and smaller Toyota hiace vans connecting the majority of the city. There is another public-private run bus operator, Brothers Metro, which is a consortium between Government of the Punjab and a private firm who operates a fleet of air-conditioned CNG buses.

Rail

The Faisalabad railway station is the central railway station in the city. The railway line forms part of the Khanewal-Wazirabad railway line. Rail services are operated by Pakistan Railways, owned and operated by the Ministry of Railways.

Cargo Express services are operated by Pakistan Railways which runs from Karachi to Faisalabad via Multan. The station has a special cargo facility operated by the Ministry of Railways (Pakistan) for handling various goods from the city to other regions of the country. An express parcel service runs from Karachi to Lahore via Faisalabad

Air Traffic

Faisalabad International Airport is approximately 15 kilometers (9.3 mi) from the city center and is a major airport for domestic and international travel. The airport includes a cargo facility. As of January 2016, passenger flights are run by the national flag carrier, Pakistan International Airlines, and several Middle Eastern carriers. There are seasonal Hajj flights to Jeddah and Medina operated by Shaheen Air. FlyDubai became the first international carrier to launch operations from the city followed by Qatar Airways, Air Arabia and Gulf Air.

In 2015, significant upgrades and renovations to the airport were initiated by the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority, including updates to aviation technology, construction of additional areas and services for travelers, and the expansion of air traffic capabilities to accommodate wide-body aircraft such as the Boeing 777.