PHOTO: EXPRESS
Rahim Yar Khan Railway Station, however, is bereft of a stopover for the leading national train services such as the Karakoram, Karachi Express, Night Coach, and Green Line.
Residents, particularly the business community, face difficulties because of this omission.
The district has a population of over six million people and more than 70 flour mills and six sugar mills currently operate in the area.
Moreover, Rahim Yar Khan connects eight districts which include Rajanpur, Muzaffargarh, Dera Bugti, Sui and Sindh’s Ghotki, Kashmore, Jacobabad and Shikarpur.
People throng to the district from these areas on a daily basis from these areas. The aforementioned trains have stopovers in Rohri, Khanewal and Bahawalpur, which are between 200 and 400 kilometres from Rahim Yar Khan.
Muhammad Ali, a resident, told The Express Tribune that he is a mobile phone retailer and must regularly travel to Karachi and Lahore for work.
Ali added that because the premium trains are not available, he must travel by bus, which is unreliable and uncomfortable.
Private sector encouraged to run freight trains
The resident implored the railway authorities to consider setting up a stopover here as commuters to Karachi and Lahore must endure hardship.
Shaukat Ali, another resident, lamented that despite Rahim Yar Khan being an industrial hub of southern Punjab, residents could not avail these premium train services.
He added that traders who need to go on business trips to other major cities are reluctant to make the journey due to the dearth of premium train services. He said that this has had an adverse affect on their business ventures.
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