LAHORE (Kashmir English): Following the increase in diesel prices, Pakistan Railways has increased the fares of passenger trains by 2 percent from today.
According to the Railways spokesperson, the increase in train fares has been implemented from today.
On the other hand, transport organizations have increased the fares of inter-city route buses by 7 percent and goods transporters by 20 percent in line with the increase in diesel prices.
President of the All Pakistan Public Transport Owners Association Malik Nadeem Hussain told Geo News that in the context of diesel prices, inter-city routes have been increased by 7 percent.
It should be remembered that two weeks ago, a 5 percent increase was also made on the same routes.
President of the Pakistan Goods Transporters Association Nabil Mahmood Tariq has said that truck fares have been increased by 20 percent, while according to President of the Pakistan Mini Mazda Association Sher Ali Chaudhry, the fares of mini Mazda loaders and Mazda buses have been increased by 5 percent.
Earlier, In another development, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Uzbekistan have signed a trilateral railway framework agreement, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Thursday, in a bid to boost regional connectivity and economic integration.
In a post on X, the foreign minister said that the framework agreement was signed on the Joint Feasibility Study for the Naibabad–Kharlachi rail link under the Uzbek–Afghan–Pak (UAP) Railway Corridor.
The UAP Railway Corridor aims to build a rail link to connect Uzbekistan with Pakistan via Afghanistan and facilitate access to Pakistani seaports for Central Asian States. By facilitating regional trade and transit, the project is expected to promote regional stability, growth, and development.
DPM Dar congratulated “the people and the governments of the three nations on the signing of the Framework Agreement on the Joint Feasibility Study for the Naibabad–Kharlachi rail link under the UAP Railway Corridor.”
“I also thank the Foreign Ministers of Uzbekistan @FM_Saidov & Afghanistan for their support & commitment to the timely signing of the agreement. We remained closely engaged throughout the negotiation process to finalise the details,” he said.
He hailed the UAP Railway Corridor as a major milestone in advancing regional connectivity and economic integration that would connect Central Asian countries to Pakistani seaports through Afghanistan.
“The signing of today’s agreement is a result of the leadership & commitment of the last PDM Government (2022–23), under Prime Minister Shehbaz, when I was tasked as Finance Minister of the PDM government to lead this effort with brotherly countries, and we collectively laid the foundation for this transformational project,” Dar wrote on X.
DPM Dar witnessed the signing of the agreement, which was signed by Minister for Railways Hanif Abbasi.
