Pakistan Railways (PR) has informed the public about the modifications to the train schedules that will be implemented for the summer season on April 15th.
In preparation for the arrival of summer, Pakistan Railways (PR) altered the schedules of six express trains. The Hazara Express will now leave the Karachi City station at 7:35 in the morning instead of 7:00 in the morning, as the revised schedule specifies.
Instead of departing at 14:00, the Pakistan Express will leave the Karachi Cantt station at 13:30. The passenger train will now leave Karachi and Lahore at 17:00, an hour later than the previous departure time of 16:30.
Instead of leaving the Karachi Cantt station at 17:30, the Millat Express will depart at 17:00. Instead of departing the Karachi Cantt station at 17:30, the Tezgam Express will do so at 18.00.
The Allama Iqbal Express will now leave the Karachi Cantt station at 18:30 rather than the previous departure time of 15:30. According to the PR spokeswoman, the other trains will be operated according to the timetable that had been published previously.
In order to bring the operations of the railway department up to date and modern standards, Pakistan Railways switched over their complete system to the Railway Automated Booking & Travel Assistance (RABTA) app in the month of February.
The RABTA application was developed by the Railways in conjunction with Chinese enterprises. This application will allow travellers to purchase a ticket or transportation, as well as food and hotel accommodations, with a single tap.
During this event, Railway Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique stated that the app will levy an additional Rs9 from the user on each train ticket, while the subject of excise duty on air tickets is now being discussed with the federal government.
The federal minister also stated that the programme will provide citizens with the ability to book parcels and track train times.
He stated that this service is being offered on the basis of a revenue-sharing arrangement with China, and that this app is an essential step in the process of enhancing the operational aspects of Railways.