LAHORE: Pakistan Railways has decided to shut down the iconic Shalimar Express train once again due to a financial crisis.

According to reports, the railway’s administration is facing a loss of about Rs2 million daily in running the train. The Shalimar Express runs between Lahore to Karachi simultaneously at 6 AM.

Earlier in May, the Shalimar Express train had once again started chugging on tracks after closures for eight months on the directives of then Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique.

The inauguration of Shalimar Express train restoration was carried out by Divisional Superintendent Railway Lahore Muhammad Sufyan Sarfraz Dogar amid much fanfare. Deputy DS Railways Imran Mashal and other officials also attended the inauguration.

The train was uniquely decorated with foil strips, ribbons and balloons and special discounts were given to passengers. The train also had an addition of eleven new coaches.

The Shalimar Express new route was via Raiwind, Sahiwal, Multan, Bahawalpur, Khanpur, Rahim Yar Khan, Rohri, Nawab Shah, Hyderabad, and Landhi on its way from Lahore to Karachi.

The train comprises 19 coaches of which 11 are economy, one dining car, one brake van, two business coaches, one air-conditioned parlour coach and two are air-conditioned standard coaches. It has a capacity for 1,198 passengers.

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