LAHORE: The Business Express will soon be running with new composition, while it started having two-minute stoppage at Bahawalpur station from Wednesday.

The extra stoppage was allowed 22 days after the Pakistan Railways (PR) administration took over control of the 303-Up/304-Down Business Express from the private company, operating the non-stop train between Lahore and Karachi under the first joint venture under public-private partnership.

Earlier, the train had stoppages at Khanewal, Rahim Yar Khan, Rohri and Hyderabad while it comprised nine AC Business coaches, two power vans and one each guard and luggage vans.

“Now the train would have four AC Business, six AC Standard, one dining car, one each power, brake and luggage vans,” an officer of railways commercial wing told Dawn.

Bids had been invited for the award of contract for the dining car, said the officer while adding that the new composition of the express train -- addition of six AC Standard coaches – would be instrumental in attracting more passengers.

Soon after taking over control of Business Express, the railway authorities found it hard to generate even half of revenue they were getting from the private company which operated the train between Lahore and Karachi till Oct 28.

“Occupancy rate of Business Express, having a capacity of 486 passengers per trip, has been less than 30pc since we took over,” said the officer while seeking anonymity.

The Pakistan Railways had on Aug 18, 2011, signed an agreement with M/s Four Brothers International (Pvt) Ltd to operate Business Express between Lahore and Karachi as a joint venture under the public-private partnership.

The then prime minister, Yousuf Raza Gilani, had on Feb 3, 2011, inaugurated the Business Express and expressed his optimism that the train would set new standards for the public sector to improve its level of performance on a sustainable basis.

Published in Dawn, November 19th, 2015