Construction began in 1879 and was completed in 1887, which by then was part of the North Western State Railway.

[3] On 6 October 1879, work on the first section from Ruk (now Rohri) to Sibi (at the entrance of the Nari Pass) and was completed by 14 January 1880.

In 1880, orders were issued for the line to be extended from Sibi to Quetta and onward to Pishin via the Harnai Pass and would become known as the Kandahar State Railway.

From Sibi, the line ran southwest, skirting the hills to Rindli and originally followed the course of the Bolan stream to its head on the plateau.

A new extension was thus proposed from Sibi through the Mashkaf Valley and Bolan Pass to Quetta and onward to Chaman in 1885.