RAWALPINDI:
Pakistan Railways is unlikely to operate special trains for Eidul Fitr this year due to a severe financial crisis, officials said, with no schedule issued and bookings yet to begin, despite the festival being only days away.
Railway authorities have traditionally run special trains and offered discounted tickets during Eid to facilitate passengers travelling to their hometowns.
However, officials at the Rawalpindi railway booking office said no instructions had been received so far regarding Eid special services.
“With only five days left before Eid, no schedule for Eid special trains has been issued, and no bookings are being made,” an official said, indicating that the operation of such trains now appears unlikely.
To accommodate the expected rush of passengers during Eid, PR had earlier proposed attaching additional coaches to regular trains operating on key routes, including Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Lahore, Karachi and Quetta.
However, the proposal has become contentious after the relevant authority rejected it, arguing that even the regular trains currently in service do not have their full complement of coaches.
“If the trains already running are not operating with their normal number of coaches, how can extra coaches be arranged?” an official reportedly questioned.
Officials at the Divisional Superintendent Railways office in Rawalpindi said a final decision regarding both the operation of Eid special trains and the addition of extra coaches would be taken on Monday, March 16.
The announcement is expected to determine whether Pakistan Railways can provide any additional travel capacity for passengers during the upcoming Eid holidays.
