KARACHI: The Pakistan Railways has kicked off a special operation in which five trains will be used to facilitate the public's travel needs for this year's Eid Al-Fitr, an official confirmed on Wednesday. 

Pakistanis each year travel to different parts of the country to meet their loved ones and celebrate the joyous occasion of Eid Al-Fitr. Trains are the most preferred mode of transport for people who have to cover long distances to reach their cities and villages, often located in remote parts of the country.

Muslims celebrate the three-day religious holiday to mark the end of the holy month of Ramadan, during which they abstain from food and drink from dawn till sunset. 

Pakistan announced Eid holidays from Friday, April 21, to Tuesday, April 25. 

“Pakistan Railways operates special trains on Eid for those who travel to their native towns to spend Eid with their loved ones, and this year, it is operating five special trains, three of which will go up north,” Babar Ali, director of public relations of the state-owned Pakistan Railways, told Arab News.

Ali said the first special train left the southern port city of Karachi on Tuesday and arrived in Peshawar, the capital of the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, on Wednesday afternoon.

The train plies through different cities of Sindh and Punjab, including Lahore, he said, adding that a train also departed from Pakistan's southwestern Quetta city and arrived in Rawalpindi on Wednesday. 

He said another train will make its journey from Karachi to Lahore, the capital of Pakistan's most populous eastern Punjab province.

“After Eid, two special trains will take passengers from Rawalpindi and Lahore to Quetta and Karachi, respectively,” Ali said. 

He said that in total, the trains would provide the “best transportation service” to over 5,000 people on Eid, especially at a time when private bus services hike their fares manifold.

“Pakistan Railways, as part of its old tradition is providing a smooth, easy, and good journey to people of the country on this auspicious occasion of Eid”, he said.