Khojak Pass is a mountain pass in the Toba Achakzai range in northern Balochistan, on the road and railway between Quetta and the border town of Chaman. The pass itself is about 2,290 metres high. The railway goes under it through the Khojak Tunnel, 3.9 kilometres long and finished in 1891, which was the fourth longest tunnel in the world when it opened.
This guide covers the height and geography of the pass, the history of the tunnel, how to get there from Quetta, and the part most travel pages leave out: Khojak lies in a part of Balochistan where the UK government advises against all travel, the Chaman railway service is currently suspended, and the border beyond it has been closed or restricted since October 2025. It is a place to understand rather than, for most people, a place to plan a visit to.
| At a glance | |
|---|---|
| Location | Toba Achakzai range, between Qila Abdullah and Chaman, Balochistan |
| Pass elevation | About 2,290 m (7,510 ft) |
| Tunnel elevation | About 1,945 m (6,381 ft) |
| Tunnel length | 3.912 km (2.4 miles) |
| Tunnel built | April 1888 to September 1891 |
| From Quetta | About 110 km by road via Qila Abdullah (roughly 2.5 hours in sources) |
| Road | N-25 National Highway, Quetta to Chaman and on to Kandahar |
| Status | UK advice: all travel to Balochistan advised against |
Where is Khojak Pass?
The pass crosses the Toba Achakzai mountains, a range running along the boundary between Pakistan and Afghanistan north-west of Quetta. On the Pakistani side it links the Pishin and Qila Abdullah districts of the Quetta plateau with the lower, drier plain around Chaman. On the other side of Chaman is Spin Boldak and the road to Kandahar.
Distances quoted online differ. Most sources put the pass at roughly 110 kilometres from Quetta along the N-25 via Qila Abdullah, and about 22 kilometres before Chaman. The tunnel's own railway stations, Shela Bagh on the Quetta side and Sanzala on the Chaman side, mark its two ends. The railway line from Quetta to Chaman is about 130 kilometres long.
The N-25 is the long highway that runs from Karachi through Khuzdar and Quetta to Chaman, about 813 kilometres in total. Our guide to Karachi to Quetta by road covers the earlier part of that route, which is a different road to the Quetta to Chaman section described here.
How high is Khojak Pass?
Two different heights appear online, and both are correct for different things.
- About 2,290 metres (7,510 feet) is the elevation given for the pass, the high point of the road crossing the range.
- About 1,945 metres (6,381 feet) is the elevation of the railway tunnel, which passes beneath the ridge rather than over it.
That gap of roughly 350 metres is the point of the tunnel. A railway cannot climb steep grades like a road can, so the engineers cut through the mountain to keep the gradient workable. For comparison, Quetta itself stands at about 1,680 metres, so the plateau here is high ground and winters are cold, with snow in the hills.
Why was the Khojak Tunnel built?
The reason was strategic. In the 1870s and 1880s British India was concerned about Russian influence in Afghanistan and wanted a railway that could move troops quickly towards Kandahar. The railway had reached Quetta in 1887, and the next step was to carry it over the Toba Achakzai range to the Afghan border. The line was part of the Sind–Pishin State Railway, which began from Rohri.
The mountain was the obstacle. Rather than build a long, steep detour, engineers decided on a tunnel under the Khojak ridge. Work began on 14 April 1888. While it was being cut, materials and troops were moved over the pass on a temporary rope-hauled trolley incline with parallel tracks near the summit, so ascending and descending trolleys could pass each other. The first steam engine ran through the completed tunnel on 5 September 1891, and the line reached Chaman in January 1892.
How the tunnel was built
Reading the historical accounts, the construction was hard in ways modern visitors rarely imagine.
- A mixed workforce. Accounts record labourers from Afghanistan, Kashmir, Punjab and further afield, together with a group of around 65 Welsh miners brought in for their tunnelling experience.
- Water was scarce. Up to about 80 tonnes of water had to be hauled to the site each day.
- Disease and winter. A typhoid outbreak in the winter of 1890 to 1891 is recorded as killing about 800 workers in four months, and pneumonia added to the toll in the cold.
- A surveying mistake. The two bores, started from opposite ends, initially failed to line up, and the error is said to have driven one engineer to attempt suicide before it was corrected.
When it opened, it was the fourth longest tunnel in the world. It stayed the longest tunnel in Pakistan for well over a century, until the 8.75-kilometre Lowari Tunnel took the title in 2018. The tunnel is straight enough that a mirror reflecting daylight at one end can be seen at the other, and concave mirrors were used to throw sunlight inside. A picture of it appeared on the old five-rupee banknote, which is why many Pakistanis know it without having been near it.
Is the Khojak Tunnel open to visitors?
The tunnel is a working railway structure, not an attraction. It has no visitor entrance, no tours and no public viewpoint that we could verify. Walking into a railway tunnel is dangerous and not permitted, and the tunnel and its stations sit on a line that has been closed for months.
The passenger train between Quetta and Chaman, the Chaman Passenger, was reported in early September 2026 to have been suspended for around six months, with no date given for its return. Rail services in Balochistan have been disrupted repeatedly in recent years by security incidents and by track repairs. Before the suspension the journey took about four hours forty-five minutes for roughly 130 kilometres. Our guide to trains in Balochistan covers the services that run elsewhere in the province.
If you are interested in the line as heritage, the realistic options are reading about it, or looking at the structure from official or press photographs. We do not recommend travelling out to find the portals.
Is Khojak Pass safe to visit?
This needs a plain answer. The UK government advises against all travel to Balochistan, and against travel within about 10 miles of the Afghan border. The Khojak road ends at Chaman, which is on that border. The road is part of the N-25 corridor in an area with a history of attacks, smuggling, protests and road blockages.
Some recent context, from news reports:
- Border. The Chaman crossing closed on 12 October 2025 after deadly clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan, reopened briefly for people in late October, and has been described as restricted or closed for most purposes since, including after fighting in February 2026.
- Highway disruption. The Quetta to Chaman highway has been blocked more than once by protests, including a sit-in in Qila Abdullah in June 2026 after five tribesmen were killed in an armed attack.
- Trains. Train operations in and out of Quetta have also been suspended and cancelled several times in 2026, including after a deadly bombing in Quetta in May 2026.
Pakistani families do live and travel in this part of Balochistan, and local people use the road every day. But there is no tourism infrastructure here, and a visit as an outsider is not something we would arrange. If you want to go anyway, check current local news and the police position the day before, ask whether the highway is open, and do not travel at night. Foreign-passport holders should read their own government's advice carefully, because travelling against it can void travel insurance. Our guides to whether Balochistan is safe to travel to and whether Quetta is safe to visit go through the wider picture.
What to see in Balochistan instead
If the pass and tunnel are what drew you, there are other historic crossings and railway routes in the province that are easier to put into a trip.
- Bolan Pass, the older railway and road route into Quetta from Sibi, is covered in our overview of the passes of Balochistan.
- Quetta and Ziarat are the usual bases for visitors. See places to visit in Quetta for the city itself.
- The wider region. Our destinations page lists the areas we cover in detail, and our travel guide explains how we judge access and safety.
For most readers looking for mountain passes and railway history in Pakistan, the north offers more that is open and well documented, such as the Karakoram Highway and Khunjerab. Khojak is best treated as history for now.
Who is this guide for?
It suits people researching Pakistan's railway history, students and writers working on the Anglo-Afghan frontier, and anyone who saw the tunnel on the old five-rupee note and wondered where it was. It does not suit travellers looking for a day out from Quetta, and we would not recommend it to anyone as a destination in current conditions.
Frequently asked questions
How high is Khojak Pass?
About 2,290 metres (7,510 feet) for the pass itself. The railway tunnel under it is at roughly 1,945 metres.
How long is the Khojak Tunnel?
3.912 kilometres (about 2.4 miles). It was completed in 1891 and was Pakistan's longest tunnel for well over a century.
Where is the Khojak Tunnel located?
Under the Khojak Pass on the Quetta to Chaman railway line, between Shela Bagh and Sanzala stations, roughly 110 kilometres from Quetta.
Can you take the train through the Khojak Tunnel?
Not at present. The Chaman Passenger was reported suspended for around six months as of early September 2026, with no restart date.
How far is Khojak Pass from Chaman?
About 22 kilometres by road, according to travel sources, and about 110 kilometres from Quetta.
Is Khojak Pass open?
The N-25 highway over the pass is a working road, but it has been blocked by protests and affected by border closures. Check local conditions before any journey, and note the UK advice against all travel to Balochistan.
