ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Railways has earned over Rs1 billion from special Eid trains, which were run by the department on a special discount to facilitate the passengers on the first day of Eidul Fitr.
“This is the first time in the history of Pakistan Railways that the department has earned such a huge amount on Eid,” an official in the Ministry of Railways told media on Tuesday.
He said the management, under the supervision of Railways Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed, was striving hard to overcome the deficit of Pakistan Railways.
The official said that the special Eid package introduced by the Pakistan Railways received an overwhelming response from the passengers.
“The passengers expressed their satisfaction over the operational improvements in trains, he claimed, adding that concession in fares and improved timings also helped the passengers save time and money.
The staff at railway stations was quite helpful in providing the passengers with information regarding train timings, platforms and tickets, the passengers on Margalla Railway Station said.
Syed Murtaza Shah, who arrived at the Margalla Railway Station from Karachi after celebrating Eid, said that Pakistan Railways had succeeded in winning the hearts of the passengers by improving its services.
Rabia Akhter, a passenger going to Quetta from Rawalpindi Railway Station, said, “For the last 15 years, I had not travelled by train, however, the improvement in facilities has helped changed my mind and now I prefer railways over travelling by road.”
She said that after several years, a heavy crowd of passengers with families could be seen at platforms which proved that Pakistan Railways was working hard to improve its services.
When contacted, a senior official of the Rawalpindi Railway Station said Pakistan Railways had improved its quality and timings through continuous efforts and passenger-friendly policies.
He said that Railway Police had made foolproof security arrangements for the Eid operations at all the railway stations across the country to avoid any unpleasant incident.
It is pertinent to mention that Pakistan Railways had run five special trains on Eidul Fitr on the directive of the railways minister to extend maximum facilities to passengers so that they could spend the festival with their near and dear ones.
