LAHORE, Dec 26: The Pakistan Railways and a private company signed on Wednesday an agreement to operate third passenger train, the Night Coach Express, between Punjab and Sindh capitals as a joint venture under public-private partnership.

Railways Additional General Manager (Traffic) Razzaq Shah and M/s Shalimar Group Managing Director Rana Rafaqat signed the agreement in the presence of PR Board chairman Arif Azeem, General Manager (Operations) Junaid Qureshi and GM (Development) Imtiaz Rizvi at the PR headquarters in Lahore.

After signing the agreement, Rana Rafaqat presented a cheque of Rs100 million for the repair and rehabilitation of locomotives, shortage of which has been badly affecting the passenger and freight operations of railways.

Under the agreement, the railways would provide coaches, locomotives and staff -- drivers, firemen and conductor guards besides PR police personnel – to the private company which would be looking after tickets reservation and checking of the new train for five years and the term would be extendable for another similar term on mutually agreed terms and conditions.

The Night Coach Express would start running between Punjab and Sindh capitals from the first week of January and would cover the distance between Lahore and Karachi in 18 hours.

Comprising one AC sleeper, two lower AC, seven economy class coaches, a dining car and a luggage van, the express train would be leaving Lahore at 6pm to reach Karachi at 12 noon the next day.

The Night Coach Express would have stoppages at Faisalabad, Multan, Bahawalpur, Rohri, Nawabshah, Hyderabad and Karachi Cantt.

The company would be responsible for the provision of facilities to passengers on board the train. It would develop its infrastructure on the PR network exclusively for the passengers of the new train, according to the agreement.

M/s Shalimar Group Managing Director Rana Rafaqat said his company would bring about substantive changes to value adding in the on-board service to passengers of the new train by spending Rs81.838 million. It would pay Rs631.95 million annually or Rs1,731,308 daily to railways for the new train at the rate of 70.2 per cent earning capacity.

Mr Rana said the Night Coach Express would be the fastest train of the country and its fares would be economical than the PR-operated trains between Lahore and Karachi. Passengers getting their seats reserved in advance would get concession on the pattern of airlines’ tickets, he said.