RAWALPINDI:
Pakistan Railways is unlikely to run special trains for Eidul Fitr this year due to a severe financial crisis, officials said, with no timetable issued and bookings yet to begin, despite the festival being just days away.
The railway authorities have traditionally run special trains and offered discount tickets during Eid to facilitate passengers traveling to their hometowns.
But 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 timetable for Eid special trains has been issued and no reservations are being made,” said an official, indicating that the operation of such trains now looks unlikely.
To meet the expected rush of passengers during Eid, PR had earlier proposed to attach additional coaches to regular trains plying on key routes including Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Lahore, Karachi and Quetta.
However, the proposal has become controversial after the relevant authority rejected it arguing that even the regular trains currently in operation do not have their full number of coaches.
“If the trains that are already running are not running with their normal number of buses, how can extra buses 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 additional travel capacity for passengers during the upcoming Eid holidays.
