LAHORE - Pakistan Railways has announced Eid Package with 33 percent cut in rail fares, besides plying five special trains to facilitate passengers on the occasion of Eidul Fitr.
Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique has approved the Eid Package. The fare cut will be available on Eid and the next day. Furthermore, Railways will attach additional coaches with trains to meet heavy rush. The special trains will run from June 23 to June 28. The minister chaired a meeting in this regard where the Eid Package was accorded approval. The first Eid train will leave Karachi on June 23 for Peshawar, via Multan, Faisalabad, Sargodha, Malakwal, Lala Musa and Rawalpindi. The second train will depart Quetta to Rawalpindi via Rohri, Khanewal and Lahore. The third train will go from Karachi to Lahore via Multan and Faisalabad. Two special trains will also be operating from Rawalpindi to Multan and Multan to Rawalpindi.
Addressing the meeting, he said that Railways would provide travelling facility to more than 500,000 passengers through its Eid operation. He said the number of railway passengers had increased to 15 million per annum. The minister said that connecting people with their loved ones is a sacred duty and a pleasant responsibility which the Railways is fulfilling with dedication.
The minister asserted that the system would accommodate over 0.5 million travellers in its Eid operations. He vowed that quotas would be reserved for women, persons with special needs and senior citizens in train schedules, exclusive to Eid. Tickets on 33 percent slashed prices would be made available on both the windows as well as advance bookings, he said.
Dedicated additional coaches are attached to the engines to manage the rush following the vacations, he added. Rafique further said that at least 85,000 passengers would be transported during Eid holidays.