Pakistan Railways has announced a second fare increase this September in response to a significant surge in petrol and diesel prices.
According to ARY News, effective tomorrow, September 19th, train fares will see a 5 per cent hike across all categories, encompassing shuttles, passenger trains, express services, and freight. It’s worth noting that this increase excludes shuttle and passenger trains covering distances of 250 kilometres or less.
Over the past 1.5 months, the railway ministry has already implemented a cumulative 20 per cent fare increase. The previous increments occurred on August 10th (10 per cent) and September 2nd.
This decision by Pakistan Railways closely follows an earlier announcement this month, wherein a 5 per cent fare increase was revealed for all shuttle, passenger, express, and inter-city trains.
These adjustments coincide with a recent decision by the caretaker government to raise petroleum product prices by up to Rs14 per litre. This move is seen as contradictory to previous promises of relief to the general populace.
Of particular note is the substantial increase in petrol and diesel prices, with petrol rising by Rs26.2 per litre to reach a new price of Rs331.38 per litre and diesel increasing by Rs17.34 per litre, now priced at Rs329.18 per litre.
Within the span of just one month, the caretaker government has raised petrol prices by Rs58 per litre and diesel prices by Rs56 per litre, raising concerns among economic experts regarding a potential fresh wave of inflation triggered by these drastic fuel price hikes.
