ISLAMABAD – Pakistan Railways has decided to suspend its newly introduced train timetable following complaints about delays in operations.
An official told media that a notification has been issued to reinstate the old timetable from November 10 as the revised schedule had been introduced on October 15.
Officials said the decision was taken after train services experienced delays due to engineering restrictions and signalling problems, affecting the punctuality of railway operations.
In a separate development, Pakistan Railways has directed private operators running outsourced trains to ensure the provision of all officially approved travel concessions to eligible passengers.
Under a notification issued by the department, private train operators have been instructed to provide fare discounts to journalists, senior citizens and persons with disabilities in accordance with applicable rules.
The directives also require private operators to extend railway employees’ travel passes, Privilege Ticket Orders (PTOs) and other special travel benefits to eligible individuals.
According to the notification, all entitled passengers must receive the concessions allowed under Pakistan Railways regulations and the relevant agreements with private operators.
The department noted that it had previously issued several instructions to private operators regarding the implementation of travel concessions. However, complaints continued to emerge about eligible passengers, including elderly citizens, persons with disabilities, journalists and railway employees, being denied their entitled benefits.
