Pakistan Railways on Saturday increased the fares of economy class and air-conditioned class tickets by five per cent and 10pc respectively, following the hike in petrol and diesel prices.<\/p>\n
According to a statement by the Pakistan Railways spokesperson, the fares of cargo trains have also increased by 20pc<\/p>\n
The new prices will take effect from Monday, March 9. However, the fare increase will not apply to bookings made in advance, the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n
He further said that Pakistan Railways will bear the additional burden of operational expenses of passenger trains.<\/p>\n
The development comes after the government increased <\/a>the prices of petrol and high-speed diesel by Rs55 per litre, the highest-ever such hike as Pakistan felt the first direct economic impact of the US-Israel war<\/a> on Iran.<\/p>\n The ex-depot price of high-speed diesel was fixed at Rs335.86 per litre for the coming week, up by about 20pc from Rs280.86 per litre. Likewise, the ex-depot price of petrol was revised to Rs321.17 per litre from Rs266.17 per litre, reflecting an increase of around 17pc.<\/p>\n