Pakistan Railways inaugurated a dining coach

Pakistan Railways inaugurated the cutting-edge dining car "Premium Lounge," imported from China, at Lahore Railway Station on Thursday. The coach will be added to Bahauddin Zakariya Express, marking the initial stride in elevating facilities.

Chairman Pakistan Railways, Syed Mazhar Ali Shah, announced the dining facility will soon be installed in other trains as well.

During the inauguration, Pakistan Railways Chief Executive Officer Amir Baloch emphasized Pakistan Railways' commitment to enhancing food and beverage standards and ensuring value for money in the design of the dining car.

He mentioned that the Bahauddin Zakariya Express will be the initial recipient of the upgrade, with plans to expand this improvement to the Hazara Express in the following phase. Despite limited resources, passengers will be provided with the best facilities. He said that the project had been finalized on a "develop and run" basis.

The CEO underscored the goal of providing fare relief and mentioned ongoing discussions about the financial terms of the ML-1 project.

In the dining car, 45 passengers could dine at a time and the car's menu includes more than 40 dishes. An oven is available for fresh baked ‘roti', and barbecue and pizza will also be offered.

Bahauddin Zakaria Express passenger train is operated daily by Pakistan Railways, running between Karachi and Multan. The trip takes approximately 16 hours and 5 minutes to cover a distance of 929 kilometers (577 mi) along the Karachi–Peshawar Railway Line.

The coaches imported from China to Pakistan are capable of reaching speeds of 160 km per hour, but they will be limited to a maximum speed of 120 km per hour until the planned railway track upgrade is completed. Acquiring these trains was a step toward the planned upgrade of the railway track, advancement of technology, and improvement of human resources.