KARACHI: The Pakistan Railways has announced to run 66 more special trains to facilitate the citizens on eve of Eid-ul-Fitr amidst a complete ban on public transport across the country.
According to the Pakistan Railways spokesperson, the railways will operate 66 special trains from different cities of Punjab, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK).
The PR management has also finalized arrangements for special trains between Karachi and Lahore. On the down track, a passenger train will leave for Karachi on May 11, whereas, another train will be run from Karachi to Rawalpindi on the same day.
The Pakistan Railways will run four special trains between Faisalabad and Lahore, four special trains between Lahore and Faisalabad and seven Eid trains between Peshawar and Rawalpindi.
The PR also announced to operate four special trains between Multan and Faisalabad. The railways’ authorities earlier announced to operate 11 special trains on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr.
As per schedule, the first special train left from Karachi to Lahore on May 7, whereas, two more special passenger trains will leave from Karachi to Lahore on May 9 and 11.
Earlier, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) had decided to ban inter-provincial transport. In a session held at the NCOC, it was decided to ban inter-provincial transport amid a surge in the COVID-19 cases.
However, goods, freight, medical and other emergency services will be exempted, announced an official statement. It was also decided that the railways would continue to operate seven days a week, with 70 percent capacity according to SOPs.
Participants of the NCOC meeting decided to review the situation after Eid when they would meet again to discuss whether the inter-provincial transport ban should be withdrawn or extended.
