By our correspondent
KARACHI: Passengers using railway booking services in Karachi will benefit from extended counter hours after Pakistan Railways announced an expansion of evening shift timings by three hours, in a move aimed at easing ticketing access for travelers.
According to officials, the revised schedule applies across the Karachi Division of Pakistan Railways reservation offices, where working hours have now been formally updated through an official notification.
Under the new arrangement, the morning shift will run from 8:00am to 4:00pm as usual. The evening shift, however, has been significantly extended, now operating from 4:00pm until midnight. A night shift will continue uninterrupted from 12:00am to 8:00am.
Previously, evening counters were only open until 9:00pm, meaning the latest extension adds an additional three hours of service for passengers, particularly those unable to visit booking offices during daytime hours.
Railway officials say the decision has been taken to improve access for working passengers and those who tend to make travel arrangements later in the day. The aim, they added, is to reduce congestion at counters and provide more flexible booking options for the public.
The notification also confirmed that Friday prayer breaks will remain in place as usual, with a suspension of services between 1:00pm and 2:30pm to accommodate Jumma prayers.
Management in the Karachi Division has instructed all relevant staff to ensure strict implementation of the revised timetable, stressing that the changes must be enforced uniformly across reservation offices so that passengers do not face confusion or inconvenience.
The adjustment comes as Pakistan’s rail network continues to face pressure to modernize its passenger services, particularly in major urban centers where demand for rail travel remains high and booking offices often experience heavy footfall during peak hours.
