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The Pakistan Railways on Wednesday announced a hike in fares for passenger, express and mail trains, marking the second increase within 15 days, ARY News reported. The decision comes after the rise in prices of petroleum products, including diesel.
In a notification, the Pakistan Railways said that a 2 per cent increase in fare will take effect from July 4 for express and passenger trains. The two per cent fare increase will also apply to advance bookings as per the notification. According to an official, the Pakistan railways has been facing a monthly loss of approximately Pakistani Rupees (PKR) 109 million due to the increasing price of diesel. The railway department has issued instructions to the Director of IT and the DS to ensure compliance with the increased fares. Notably, passenger train fares were increased by three per cent while freight train fares witnessed a rise of four per cent on June 18. The Pakistan government has hiked prices of petroleum products for the ongoing fortnight ending on July 15, raising the price of petrol by PKR 8.36 per litre. As per a notification issued by Pakistan's Ministry of Finance, the petrol price was raised by PKR 14.80 per litre, pushing the price of petrol to PKR 266.89 per litre. The price of high-speed diesel was increased by PKR 10.39 per litre, with the price set at PKR 272.98 per litre. Earlier in June, Pakistan's Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) announced a gas price hike for the majority of consumers, power plants, and industrial sectors, effective July 1, ARY News reported. The decision was announced through a formal notification, which comes as part of the government's comprehensive approach to match electricity rates with cost recovery and regulatory compliance, as per ARY News. The notification mentioned that gas price in Pakistan will not be changed for domestic consumers in terms of tiered rates. The monthly charges for home users will increase. People with some protection will now pay Pakistani Rupees (PKR) 600 each month, which is an increase from PKR 400, ARY News reported. Those without protection will see their monthly fee rise from PKR 1,000 to PKR 1,500. High-usage households consuming more than 1.5 cubic meters of gas will face a further increase, with fixed charges jumping from PKR 2,000 to PKR 2,400. (ANI)
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