Passengers delighted at 50% fare reduction

Say the reduced rates will encourage more people to travel by train

LAHORE: Passengers of Pakistan Railways have expressed their delight over the reduction of train fares by 50%. The reduced cost for train travel was earlier announced by Federal Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafique. The new rates had been implemented from Wednesday.

Observers also welcomed the move with many of them saying this would encourage people to travel to their destinations on train.



PR Daily Passengers Association (DPA) senior member Advocate Malik Sajid Ali said an improvement was observed in railways operations over the last four years.

Hafiz A Qayyum, another leader of the DPA, said PR was one of the neglected departments, but the current administration had turned things around.

Pakistan Railways slashed the fares of five passenger trains by 50%.

The fare from Peshawar to Lahore in the air-conditioned business class train of Jaffar Express and Khyber Mail would be reduced to Rs900 from Rs1,740. On the other hand, the fare from Peshawar to Lahore on the air-conditioned sleeper carriage of Jaffar Express would be Rs1,410. The original fare was Rs2,280.



The economy class rates of Jaffar Express and Awam Express will also come down, with passengers having to pay Rs860 instead of Rs1,340 for an air-conditioned standard carriage. The train would be used to travel from Peshawar to Lahore.

Passengers will also be able to travel from Peshawar to Lahore for as low as Rs390 in air-conditioned standard carriages. The rate of the travel before reduction was Rs480.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 2^nd, 2017.