A month after their suspension due to floods, Pakistan Railways on Sunday resumed trains from Karachi to the rest of the country.
However, the recovery comes with an associated increase in rents.
The first train to depart from Karachi’s Cantt Station was the Khyber Mail and Rehman Baba Express, carrying four additional coaches to Peshawar carrying a total of 1,500 passengers.
The train will pass over flooded tracks at Nawabshah while running at a slower speed than usual from Nawabshah to Sadiqabad as a safety precaution. This means that the train takes about 31 hours to complete the journey.
While Rehman Baba Express has departed, Khyber Mail is expected to leave Karachi at 10 pm.
Fares Increased
Pakistan Railways has increased train fares from 19 to 23 percent.
The fares of Karakoram, Karachi and Business Express have been hiked significantly, with their cheapest tickets – economy class increasing from Rs 950 to Rs 3,000 per head.
Initially only a couple of trains will run but gradually all trains will be running again.
| Train | Ac/Sleeper | AC/Business | AC/Standard | Economy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Karachi – | – Lahore – | – Karachi | ||
| Karachi Express (15UP/16DN) | Rs9,000 | Rs7,000 | Rs5,000 | Rs3,000 |
| Karakoram Express (41UP/42DN) | N/A | Rs7,000 | N/A | Rs3,000 |
| Pak Business Express (33UP/34DN) | N/A | Rs7,000 | Rs5,000 | Rs3,000 |
| Karachi – | – Peshawar – | – Karachi | ||
| Khyber Mail (1UP/2DN) | Rs11,000 | Rs8,000 | Rs7,000 | Rs3,000 |
| Rehman Baba Express (47UP/48DN) | N/A | Rs9,000 | Rs8,000 | Rs3,000 |
