ISLAMABAD: To ensure trickle-down effects of falling POL product prices to the public, Pakistan Railways has announced a 5 percent reduction in the fares of passenger trains.
In a press statement, Railways Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafique said that Pakistan Railways reduced fares of different passenger trains 3 percent to 5 percent in view of the fall of POL prices by more than Rs29 per litre, adding that the fares cut would provide the common man an economic and safe mode to travel.
The minister pointed out that though expenses on lubricants and fuel amounted to only 18 percent of total PR expenses, the ministry had decided to reduce the fares.
Mr Rafique also informed that his government was committed to improving facilities to the passengers that included betterment in dining car services, improvement of facilitates at railway stations, purchase of new engines and railways vans and infrastructure improvements.
The railways minister said that to provide quality food to the passengers during their travel, dining car service was now being run on non-profit basis, adding that quality food and crockery had been ensured. He said that even critics had appreciated this improvement in facilitation.
While commenting on closure of Kohat-Rawalpindi rail car service, Saad Rafique said that railway track between Rawalpindi and Kohat needed improvement as passengers, prefer travelling by road and train was running under loss.
“Our prime focus are those routes, where passenger prefer to travel by train, however, in the later stages other route also be taken up,” he added. He said that Karachi Circular Railways was domain of the provincial government. “However, Pakistan Railways is ready to provide land and technical facilitation for this project,” he added.
Mr Rafique also took notice of the media reports about loss of luggage at Lahore Airport and categorically cleared that his luggage was neither stolen nor misplaced at the airport, adding that news reports in this regard were completely baseless and misleading and were result of irresponsible journalism.
