Steam Safari train between Golra Sharif and Taxila and Peshawar to Landi Kotal has been suspended due to over 50 percent reduction in number of tourists visiting these places.
Sources told Business Recorder on Monday that the Pakistan Railways had put the safari plan of Golra railway station on back benches, saying that the increasing incidents of suicide bombing, less attention of passengers were main reasons to stop this Steam Safari train between Golra Sharif and Taxila.
They said that the main aim of initiating this Safari train was to promote tourism across the country and to give people a proper know-how about the steam engine and about the Pakistan Railway's heritage collected in Railway Museum Golra.
Similarly, the Pakistan Railways had started the Khyber Steam Safari from Peshawar to Landi Kotal, operation of which was rather erratic due to the situation on the Afghan border.
In spite of the security reasons, there was a heavy demand from foreign tourists for running of the one-day Khyber Safari. But during the last flood, which destroyed the railways bridges and tracks in Peshawar and adjacent areas, no heed was paid to their rehabilitation and that was also abandoned, they said.
They added that now the only Steam Safari train between Golra Sharif and Taxila had been stopped. Official in the railways said that the number of the tourists had been decreased by 50 percent and now it was difficult for them to operate due to heavy cost. Despite the lack of proper publicity, a large number of tourists have shown their interest in travelling through this Safari train, said an official of Pakistan Railway while talking to this scribe. Ten years ago, steam locomotives had been declared redundant and these locomotives were to be condemned and scrapped.
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