Railways incurring more than Rs1 billion in losses each week due to lockdown: Minister.

ISLAMABAD -- Railways Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed has said the lockdown in the country due to the coronavirus pandemic has led to Pakistan Railways incurring more than a Rs1billion in losses every week.

'We are bound by the government's decision, but if this lockdown is over, we will run 20 trains, as they are needed [in view of existing demand],' Rasheed said while addressing a press conference in Lahore.

He added that Railways will start its freight service with the prime minister's permission from the 15th.

'Before the lockdown, we started a record 20 trains and if, before the lockdown, we had not run 40 trains, passengers would have been stranded in Karachi,' he said.

'In the last two days before the lockdown, more than 165,00 passengers travelled in trains,' he noted.

The federal minister assured that pensioners and railway employees should not be worried as they had data of nearly 1,670 coolies, which has been sent to the Ehsaas Programme for income...