ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Railways is not considering any proposal to reduce passenger fares, said an official.
There are 132 passenger trains in which the fares of only 20 trains have been increased by 3.8 per cent to 15pc and that of only one train increased by 17pc, said the official in the Ministry of Railways.
He said the increase in passenger fares was mainly driven by the hike in fuel prices from Rs88.89 to Rs110.15 per litre during the last one year.
To a question, he said Pakistan Railways was planning to operate two non-stop trains – Jinnah Express and Sir Syed Express.
He said the railway tack from Peshawar to the Torkham border was not being used mainly because it was damaged and washed away at places in flash floods in 2007.
A proposal was under consideration and negotiations are being made with the tourism department of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to revive the track for running a tourist train, the official added.
He said a feasibility study would be conducted and on arrangement of financing through different options the project would be executed.
The official said Pakistan Railways was focusing on improvement of basic amenities such as train lighting, ensuring water supply, toiletries and cleanliness of coaches and station platforms. He said a standard operating procedure (SOP) had been devised for cleanliness of trains and stations.
The pace of refurbishment of coaches has been enhanced to provide better travelling facilities to the citizens. A policy for indigenisation of manufacturing coaches at the carriage factory in Islamabad was also being pursued, he added.
He said 15 new power vans (300 KVA) had been introduced to ensure uninterrupted power supply to the coaches. Special focus is being given on the punctuality of trains.
