Railways Announces 2pc Fare Hike For All Train Classes: Passengers Protest

Faizan Hashmi Published July 17, 2025 | 07:20 PM

LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 17th Jul, 2025) The Pakistan Railways (PR) administration has announced a 2 per cent fare increase for mail, express, passenger, and intercity trains, effective immediately.

According to a notification issued by PR on Thursday, the fare hike will apply to all classes of trains, with fares subsequently rounded off.

The decision has sparked criticism from the Daily Passengers Association. President Hafiz Abdul Qayyum condemned the move, calling it an "injustice" and highlighting that this is the second fare increase within a month. Qayyum pointed out that when petroleum prices dropped from Rs 340 to Rs 255, no fare reductions were implemented.

"The railways should refund the excessive fares charged to passengers," he demanded, labeling the frequent fare hikes as exploitative.

Qayyum also criticized the practice of rounding off fares, noting that a fare of Rs 90 is increased to Rs 100 instead of the expected Rs 92. He described this as "deceitful" to passengers and urged the authorities to adopt a per-kilometer fare increase system, applied uniformly across the country.

Efforts by the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) to reach the Railway's Chief Executive Officer for comment were unsuccessful, as he did not respond to inquiries.