Pakistan Railways Reintroduces Sir Syed Express in Public-Private Partnership

Pakistan Railways (PR) has resumed the Sir Syed Express service through a public-private partnership. The first train, consisting of 16 coaches, departed from Karachi to Rawalpindi via Faisalabad on Sunday, according to a PR spokesperson.

The Sir Syed Express provides passengers with a range of classes: one AC sleeper coach, three AC business class coaches, one AC standard coach, a dining car, and eight economy class coaches.

Special measures have been introduced to maintain continuous water supply and cleanliness on board. Furthermore, free Wi-Fi is available throughout the journey to keep passengers connected.

Tickets for the Sir Syed Express can be bought via mobile applications, enabling passengers to book from home. Railway CEO Amir Baloch expressed confidence in the venture, estimating an annual revenue of around Rs. 3 billion from the service.

He highlighted that the public-private partnership model is essential for achieving self-sufficiency and increasing revenue for Pakistan Railways. Baloch also announced plans to launch ten additional trains under similar partnerships in the next few weeks.

On the other hand, Pakistan Railways is experiencing substantial financial losses due to recent terrorism incidents in Balochistan that have disrupted major train services. The suspension of the Jafar Express is resulting in a daily loss of Rs. 12.4 million, while the halt of the Bolan Mail service is causing an additional loss of Rs. 1.94 million per day.