Pakistan Railways notifies hike in train fares

LAHORE: Pakistan Railways on Monday notified a hike in fares of passenger and freight trains.

According to a notification, fares of passenger trains have been jacked up by 10 per cent with effect from Nov 1 (today) while charges of freight trains have been hiked by five per cent and will be applicable from Nov 5.

A spokesperson for the railways said fares of trains run by the private sector have also gone up by 10pc. Rail fares were increased to offset the hike in prices of petroleum products, he added.

Earlier, the Pakistan Railways department in a statement on its official Twitter handle said that a committee was set up to hike rail fares in light of the increase in fuel prices.

Also Read: PM Imran Khan rejects proposal to hike petroleum prices

It proposed a 15pc hike in all fares but the railway department decided to push up passenger train fares by 10pc and freight charges by 5pc instead so more financial burden is not put on passengers.

On Oct 30, Prime Minister Imran Khan turned down the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) proposal suggesting an increase in fuel prices from November 1. The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) had proposed a hike of Rs6 per litre in the price of petrol and Rs8/litre hike in that of high-speed diesel (HSD).

The prime minister took a decision in order to provide relief to the masses, said sources.