Railway tickets turn scarce due to road closures

The closure of major land routes for the Islamabad Long March has triggered a severe shortage of railway tickets on the Peshawar - Rawalpindi corridor, with tickets now being sold on the black market and trains packed far beyond capacity. Tickets for popular services including the Jaffer Express, Awami Express, Khyber Mail and Rehman Baba Express have become virtually impossible to obtain for Rawalpindi. As a result, large numbers of citizens have turned to railway stations as their only viable alternative. Trains departing Peshawar for Rawalpindi, Attock, Nowshera, Jahangira and Taxila are leaving fully loaded. The reverse flow is equally heavy, with passengers travelling from Rawalpindi to Peshawar also filling every available space. Many travellers are forced to stand throughout the journey because of the intense overcrowding. Train schedules have also been disrupted. Services are arriving in Peshawar between one and three hours late, compounding the hardship for passengers already struggling with limited seating and long waits.