LAHORE, May 28: Rail passengers who purchase economy-class tickets for travel between Lahore and Karachi will get a Rs50 discount on fares from June 11, Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad announced here on Sunday.

“Other economy-class passengers will get five per cent reduction in fares on all trains,” he told reporters at the office of the Lahore divisional superintendent here.

“We got a tremendous response when we offered our wagons and spaces at our stations and along the track to private companies for advertisements at a seminar at Islamabad on May 26. We expect to earn a sum of Rs1 billion from this outsource and as promised will share the same with a poor segment of society,” he said after a briefing by acting DS Abdul Jabbar of the railways Lahore division.

Work for the provision of a mass transit railway system in eight cities will soon be launched with the aim of providing better transport facilities to residents of Karachi, Quetta, Hyderabad, Multan, Lahore, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi/Islamabad and Peshawar.

Two new freight trains will be launched within 10 days while another will be operated from July 1, the minister said, recalling that some 30 years ago there were 14 freight trains but non-viability had reduced the number to eight. “I am determined to increase the freight business from eight goods trains to at least 14 within a year.”

Sheikh Rashid said that a two-lane train service on the Khanewal-Raiwind section would be a priority for him because such a service would continue non-stop, allowing trains to travel faster and satisfied the demands of passengers and the business community.

“I want dualisation by June 30, 2007, and have directed the railway authorities to complete the 246-kilometres long track dualisation in 12 months instead of three years by engaging more contractors.”