HARIPUR: The residents of different cities of Hazara division have demanded of Pakistan Railways to launch Havelian-Quetta train service to facilitate passengers and increase the profit of the department.

Talking to journalists here, Murad Khan from Mansehra, Syed Abbas Shah from Havelian and Advocate Tehseenullah from Haripur said that the local traders, servicemen and other passengers travelled to Quetta daily from different parts of the seven districts of Hazara. They said that there was no direct train service from Havelian to Quetta.

They said that there was only Hazara Express between Karachi and Havelian while a local train was providing service to passengers on the Havelian-Rawalpindi route. They said that owing to limited coaches in Hazara Express, scores of passengers wanting to travel to Lahore were often deprived of the facility and were forced to use road transport.

Abbas Shah said that government was making promises to promote tourism in Hazara but it had hardly made any travel arrangement for the tourists. “People still prefer train service but lack of arrangements by the department is discouraging the passengers,” he added.

They said that the launch of Havelian-Quetta train service would facilitate hundreds of passengers. They said that since there were already three trains plying between Peshawar and Quetta, the route of the Jafar Express that was currently plying between Peshawar and Quetta via Rohri should be changed as Havelian to Quetta via Rohri. It would help to accommodate hundreds of passengers daily from Hazara and down country to have seats not only for Quetta but also for Lahore.

An official of Pakistan Railways posted in Havelian, when contacted, confirmed that there was no direct service for Quetta from Havelian. He said that currently only Hazara Express was plying between Havelian and Karachi.

He also endorsed the suggestion about the route of Jafar Express. “It would also increase the revenue of the department handsomely,” he added.

The official said that the revenue of the department from the Hazara Express and local train known as ‘Passenger Train’ could better be judged from the fully packed coaches of the train two times a day.

Published in Dawn, January 20th, 2023