Passenger train operations will remain suspended due to rising tally of coronavirus pandemic; however, freight trains will continue as usual in order to ensure smooth supply of essential commodities across the country.
This was stated by Federal Minister for Railways Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad, while talking to media at Rawalpindi Railways Station, on Monday.
He said Pakistan Railways was playing a crucial role in transportation of oil, pulses and other commodities in all parts of the country.
Ahmad said that initially it was decided to resume the operations from April 1, however, the prime minister ordered against it, and now they would remained suspended till further orders.
"However, the freight train operations will continue as usual in order to ensure smooth supply of essential commodities across the country," he said.
He inaugurated quarantine trains, comprising 300 beds, in seven cities across Pakistan including Karachi, Rawalpindi and Multan.
"The trains will have six bogies and will be able to accommodate more than 50 people at a time," said Ahmad.
Isolation wards with 450 beds have already been set up in Rawalpindi's railway hospital for emergency purposes.
Rasheed said that those quarantine trains would also have ventilators and, in case, need arises would be inaugurated at other railway stations as well.
Seven railway hospitals will also be dedicated for treating coronavirus patients; he said, adding that 50-bed quarantine would be established at a train, while a railway hospital having capacity to accommodate 450 patients will also treat the virus patients in Rawalpindi.
The federal minister said that the cabinet meeting on Tuesday would make key decisions including provision of funds for ration through Ehsaas programme.
The minister, while responding to a query rejected any chance of curfew imposition in the country, and said the masses should adopt preventive measures on their own.
"Next 15 days are important for controlling the virus," he said, adding that the situation in Pakistan was far better than it was in Italy or the United States.