Pakistan Railways hikes fares following 20% surge in diesel prices

Pakistan Railways has announced to increase train fares across various classes and freight services, effective from March 9, following a 20% spike in diesel prices.

Pakistan Railways Spokesperson Babar Ali on Saturday confirmed that Economy Class fares will see a modest increase of 5%, whereas, fares for all air-conditioned categories will rise by 10%.

Meanwhile, fares for goods trains have been hiked by 20%, he added.

Despite the hike, the spokesperson clarified that Pakistan Railways would absorb a portion of the increased operational costs for passenger trains to minimise the impact on commuters. The decision was termed “inevitable” due to the substantial rise in fuel expenditures.

The new rates will apply from March 9. Passengers who have already secured their seats through advance bookings will not be charged the additional amount, the railway official said.

The development comes a day after Pakistan government announced a hike of Rs55 per litre in the prices of petrol and diesel each.

The announcement was made in a press conference by Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik alongside Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb.

With the increase of Rs55, the petrol price jumped to Rs321.17 per litre, with effect from midnight. Meanwhile, diesel price soared to Rs335.86 per litre.

During the press conference, Dar highlighted the ongoing conflict involving Iran, the United States, and Israel, noting that the war had begun to spill over into the wider region.

“The war between Iran, the US, and Israel has now spilled over,” he said, adding that the situation had significantly affected global petroleum markets.

“In this scenario, petroleum product prices are rising sharply. Various products have seen an increase of around 50 to 70 percent,” he noted.

He said many countries were witnessing an automatic pass-through of higher global oil prices to domestic fuel prices.