Locals throng to resumed Kohat railcar

RAWALPINDI: The Kohat railcar, which restarted on January 25 this year, has quickly gained popularity amongst residents of the city with more than 74,448 passengers travelling on it in just two months, filling the Pakistan Railways’ purse with over Rs9.3 million, a division commercial officer of the national rail service said.

Raza Ali Habib, from the Rawalpindi Division of Pakistan Railways (PR), told APP should it keep up its current trend, the Kohat Railcar was on its way to becoming one of the successful trains of Pakistan Railways. He elaborated that after its re-launch, 36,056 passengers have travelled from Rawalpindi to Kohat in 133 journeys while 38,392 have travelled in the opposite direction in 134 journeys. These trips have brought in revenues of Rs4.52 million and Rs4.86 million. Abandoned in 2011, he said, they had to first rehabilitate the Kohat-Rawalpindi rail track.

Moreover, they had renovated and rehabilitated four railway stations along its route, including two each in the Rawalpindi and Peshawar divisions, an effort which cost PR Rs502 million.“To provide cheaper travelling facilities to the people, the railcar was relaunched,” he said adding, the train has a capacity of around 400 passengers.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, April 9^th, 2018.