Fuel price surge: Railway fares raised

KARACHI: Pakistan Railways has announced another increase in passenger train fares across the board due to the recent increase in the fuel prices.

According to a notification issued by the Railways Department, the fares for all passenger train services, including economy, AC standard, AC business, and AC parlour classes, have been raised by 1 per cent.

This fare hike applies to mail, express, and intercity passenger trains, as well as trains operating under public-private partnerships.

The revised fares will come into effect from Friday, July 19, with instructions given to all divisional superintendents to update the fare table accordingly.

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It is noteworthy that Pakistan Railways did not provide any relief to passengers when fuel prices decreased previously, but has promptly implemented the latest fare increase following the recent rise in petroleum product prices.

The latest hike comes just weeks after the national railway operator announced a 3 per cent increase in freight rates across the board, effective from July 3.

The freight rate increase did not apply to certain commodities such as steel coils, petroleum products, and various service charges.

Despite the fare and freight rate hikes, Pakistan Railways reported a record revenue of Rs 88 billion in the just-concluded fiscal year 2023-24, exceeding its original target of Rs 73 billion by a significant margin.