Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: Federal Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique on Friday announced a 30 per cent reduction in train fares on the occasion of Eidul-Fitr.
The minister made the announcement while addressing a press conference here at Railway Headquarters in Lahore.
“Railways will reduce fares by 30 per cent during Eid days and from now on employees of Pakistan Railways will get salaries on time,” he said, adding that pensioners of Pak Railways would be paid on time as well. He went on to say that the former government failed to execute the mega ML-1 railway up-gradation project under the framework of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
“The ML-1 project was supposed to be completed in six years but has exceeded
to nine years due to incompetence of former PTI government,” said Rafique.
He announced that the new coalition government will rework the project as PTI failed to initiate work on ML-1. Khawaja Saad Rafique, who has previously served as Railways minister, was sworn into Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s cabinet on April 19 and was given the charge of the railways and aviation. After assuming office, Railways Minister Saad Rafique on Wednesday announced to restore Thal Express between Multan and Rawalpindi after a hiatus of over two years.
