The Pakistan Railways on Tuesday decided to shut the entire train operations from midnight (12am) for seven days till March 31, says a notification.

Earlier reports had suggested that the Ministry of Railways approved a summary for halting the service for 15 days, but the notification mentioned the period of seven days only.

A meeting chaired by Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid decided that all railways offices and the freight service will, however, remain open.

24NewsHD, quoted sources, reported that it was mentioned that the decision was a result of the situation created by the lockdown enforced in Sindh and Punjab.

Meanwhile, long lines of people are being witnessed at the City Railway Station Lahore as they want to take advantage of train service before the midnight. Some of them are of the view that the trains were the only option since the closure of public transport.

Also on Tuesday, Sheikh Rashid, before taking this decision, said he was not taken into confidence about the lockdown and warned that the situation could worsen if the workers intending to return to their hometowns were not shifted.

He said the workers wanted to go back to their native areas from different parts of the country as a result of the lockdown.

Rashid said any decision about shutting down the entire operations after consulting the prime minister and his permission, as he would make an important announcement later in the day. Thirty-four out of a total of 142 trains had already been halted, he added.

He said problems about trains were emerging from Sindh, adding that no train could be stopped half way through its journey.

It was reported on Monday that the authorities were considering suspension of the train service from Karachi to other parts of the country.

Fifty-six trains run between the port city and other destinations across Pakistan and they were mulling over shutting another 20.