January 03, 2008	Thursday	Zilhaj 23, 1428

ATTOCK, Jan 2: The Pakistan Railways has terminated its railcar service operating between Attock and Rawalpindi without any intimation, causing great inconvenience to a large number of commuters particularly students and labourers, it has been learnt.

Some of the affected passengers said when they reached the Attock railway station as usual on Wednesday morning they were told that the service had been closed.

As a result, a large number of passengers returned to their homes or moved to local bus stands to reach their destinations.

Later, the passengers met former MPA Syed Ejaz Bukhari to seek help of his brother Syed Wajid Shah Bukhari, who is a caretaker federal minister for environment and local government. Mr Bukhari assured them that he would make efforts for the restoration of the service.

Meanwhile, president of the railway passengers welfare association Attock Rana Nasib Ali Khan and Muttahida Mehnatkash Mahaz chairman Rana Liaquat Ali Khan have demanded restoration of the service.

They said the railcar service was introduced to facilitate employees, students, labourers and other passengers who daily travelled to Wah, Taxila, Hasanabdal and other areas.

It was a popular train service due to its low fare and suitable timings which mostly catered to the labour class. It left Attock for Rawalpindi at 6.30am daily and returned to the city at 3.45pm.

When contacted, an official at the local railway station said the train service had been suspended for an indefinite period to meet the acute shortage of coaches and locomotives on other express trains.

He said the Pakistan Railways was facing serious shortage of passenger coaches after a number of its coaches and locomotives were damaged during the four-day violence after the assassination of Benazir Bhutto.

He said the service would be resorted after the situation is normalised.