From Abid Usman
LAHORE: Pakistan Railways has notified a ticket price cut for all categories of the passenger trains across the country, just weeks after announcing a fare hike.
The reduced fares, announced for making the travel by train more affordable and accessible to the public, will take effect from August 3. According to a notification, Rs100 to Rs150 have been reduced on the AC class tickets while Rs50 have been reduced on the tickets for economy class.
“The aim of reducing rail fares is to making train travel more affordable and accessible for the public,” the PR notification read.
The development came a day after the federal government announced reduction in the petroleum products prices.
It may be noted that the railway department had announced a 1% hike in fares for all trains, including mail, express, intercity, and passenger trains, including outsourced services, on July 18.
This adjustment was implemented under the rationale of fare rationalisation.
Moreover, the fare for all freight and goods trains was increased by 2% increase.
The railways collected an amount of over Rs76 million from ticket-less passengers in a crackdown dur-ing the last six months with the help of railway police and train staffers.
“Around 59,143 passengers found travelling without tickets in different trains and collected the said amount from them, which is deposited in the official bank account of the department,” sources in the ministry had told media.
