LAHORE: After the takeover of the Business Express by the Pakistan Railways, the people hired by the private company to run the train are not sure whether or not they will get their wages for the month of October.

The worst-hit are 298 employees who are drawing between Rs9,000 and Rs20,000 a month. They have worked for 27 days and now have no contact with their employer.

Railways administration added insult to the injury on Thursday by not allowing company employees belonging to Lahore, stationed at Raiwind, Khanewal, Rahim Yar Khan, Rohri, Sukkur, Hyderabad and Karachi, even to board the train which was their’s a day ago.

A group of company employees told Dawn that after the takeover, they were barred from boarding the Business Express at Karachi station.

“We somehow boarded Hazara Express but were alighted at Khanewal from where we boarded Allama Iqbal Express. However, at Sahiwal, we were asked to pay Karachi to Lahore fare with fine or leave the train. We left the train and reached Lahore by a bus,” said an employee who wished not to be named.

Several other employees said they were asked by Mian Shafqat, Mr Zafar Iqbal and Mr Ijaz at around 3pm on Wednesday to come to a local hotel along with the record immediately.

“After getting record, they asked us to go back to the offices but we were informed by our colleagues about the takeover when we were on way. Since then, we made repeated calls but they did not respond,” they said.

Fares REVISED: The Pakistan Railways administration has revised fares of Business Express, a day after taking over control of the train running between Punjab and Sindh capitals.

In a release issued here on Thursday, the railway administration said the AC Business class passengers of 303-Up/304-Down train would get all the facilities they were previously getting under the new fares.

However, instead of simplifying the procedure to validate the tickets issued by the private company for Business Express, it asked passengers to visit its reservation offices in Lahore and Karachi for the purpose and that too before 9pm on Oct 31.

From Lahore, said the release, a single journey per person up to Khanewal will be Rs1,250; up to Rahim Yar Khan Rs2,500; up to Rohri Rs2,800; up to Hyderabad Rs3,930 and up to Karachi Rs4,410.

From Khanewal, a single journey per person up to Rahim Yar Khan will be Rs1,430; up to Rohri Rs2,100; up to Hyderabad Rs2,800 and up to Karachi Rs3,630.

From Rahim Yar Khan, a single journey per person up to Rohri will be Rs760; up to Hyderabad Rs1,730 and up to Karachi Rs2,500.

From Rohri, a single journey per person up to Hyderabad will be Rs1,250 and up to Karachi Rs1,730 while from Hyderabad the fare up to Karachi will be Rs400.

Published in Dawn, October 30th, 2015

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