LAHORE: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Friday inaugurated the country’s first business express train launched under a public private partnership.

Federal Railway Minister Ghulam Ahmed Bilour, Punjab Governor Sardar Latif Khosa, PPP Information Secretary Qamar Zaman Kaira were also present at the ceremony held at the Lahore Railways Station.

The Pakistan Business Express, jointly launched by the Pakistan Railways with partnership of M/s Four Brothers, had to be launched in December, but was delayed as the coaches were not ready.

The train will run between Lahore and Karachi, covering the distance in 18 hours.

Earlier, Lahore Chamber of Commerce president Ch Zafar Iqbal said that the latest facilities, including online banking, tickets home delivery, medical staff, passengers insurance, comfortable waiting halls, wi-fi internet, computers and food had been provided to passengers while no extra charges would be collected for these facilities.

Addressing an inauguration ceremony, Bilour appealed to the prime minister to help tackle the crisis of the railways department. He said about 100 locomotives could have been repaired if an amount of Rs 11.1 billion of the bailout package approved by the federal cabinet was released. Pakistan Railways is operating trains with only 147 locomotives as compared to Indian Railways which was being run with 8,300 locomotives, added Bilour.