There is no seat available in any upcountry train due to Eid rush as booking of seats and berths in all trains for economy and lower AC classes have been completed from July 23-27, 2014, and thousands of people willing to travel by train to celebrate Eid with their near and dear ones in their native towns and villages are facing immense problems to secure a seat or berth.
Railway Workers Union Chairman Manzoor Razi told PPI that from July 23 to July 27, 2014, there was not a single seat or berth available in any upcountry train. He said thousands of people visited the city and Karachi Cantt stations daily but they could find a seat. He said the revenue of Karachi City and Karachi Cantt stations had jumped to about Rs 11 million per day which was a big achievement for Pakistan Railway.
He said the Pakistan Railways had announced to run three special Eid trains but they would not be sufficient to meet the Eid rush. He said the only solution was to increase the number of compartments to each passenger trains. He said normally 13 to 15 bogies were attached to each train, but in fact these trains could lug 18 to 20 compartments. He said if the Pakistan Railways add even two to three additional carriages to each train, it can meet the Eid rush successfully, which would also provide additional income to the cash stripped railways.
He also demanded from the railway minister to announce one-month pay as Eid bonus to all workers of Pakistan Railways to encourage and acknowledge their efforts for increasing the revenue of the department.