Pakistan Railways has announced a Pakistan Railways journalist spouse discount, offering a 50 per cent concession on train travel for the spouses of working journalists across its network.
According to the notification, the facility applies to the wives of eligible journalists and covers up to 10 single journeys. The move aims to provide financial relief and make travel easier for journalists’ families.
Pakistan Railways said eligible individuals can use the concession on all trains and classes across the network. However, the facility does not apply to some premium services.
The excluded trains are the Green Line, Pak Business Express and Shah Hussain Express. Officials said passengers must present the required documents to receive the discount.
The decision reflects Pakistan Railways’ effort to support the media community while keeping the policy clearly defined.
By limiting the concession to a set number of journeys and excluding selected premium services, the department has outlined both the benefit and its boundaries.
Read: Pakistan Railways Increases Train Fares From March 9
An earlier relief package was announced after a petrol price hike. At that time, the government decided not to raise railway fares despite higher diesel costs and broader pressure on the transport sector.
Pakistan Railways estimated that it might need a 30 per cent fare increase. However, the Prime Minister told the department to keep fares unchanged for Economy and AC classes. The government also kept freight charges unchanged.
The earlier relief package aimed to protect passengers from the broader impact of rising fuel prices. The government decided to absorb an additional financial burden of 6 billion PKR until June 30 to cover the gap.
Railways Minister Muhammad Hanif Abbasi said the decision would help keep train travel affordable for the public during difficult economic conditions. Together, these two measures show that Pakistan Railways is using targeted concessions and fare restraint to support different groups of passengers
