How to Complain to Pakistan Railways: Complaint Book, 1333 Police and Online Ticket Helplines
How to complain to Pakistan Railways: the Complaint Book, Railway Police 1333, online ticket helplines, the deadline for each problem and how to escalate it.
Short answer: to complain to Pakistan Railways, ask the train's Conductor Guard or the Station Master for the printed Complaint Book and write your complaint in it. For safety or a wheelchair, call the Railway Police helpline 1333. For an online ticket problem, call 042-99070011 or the payment company you used. If nothing happens, take it to the Pakistan Citizen's Portal.
We took these routes from Pakistan Railways' own website on 9 October 2026. The site also publishes how long each type of complaint should take, from one week for overcharging to one month for a damaged level crossing. Here is who to go to for each problem, and what to do if your complaint goes nowhere.
The Complaint Book is the official first step
Pakistan Railways says a printed Complaint Book is kept with every Station Master and every Guard. Writing in it creates a record that the railway has to act on. A spoken complaint to a passing staff member does not.
Ask for the book by name. Write the date, train number, coach and berth or seat number, and what went wrong. Add your name and phone number so the division can contact you. Take a photo of the page on your phone before you hand it back.
The Pakistan Railways FAQ names the right person for each common problem:
| Problem | Who to complain to |
|---|---|
| Overcharging by staff or vendors | Station Manager or Station Master in charge, or the Divisional Commercial Officer |
| Poor food in the dining car | Guard in charge, in the Complaint Book, or the Divisional Commercial Officer |
| Coolies or licensed porters | Station Manager in charge or the Conductor Guard; note the porter's badge number |
| Catering or other passenger amenities | Conductor Guard, Station Master or Divisional Commercial Officer |
| Emergency at a station | Divisional Commercial Officer, Station Master or the Police Help Centre |
A Divisional Commercial Officer runs passenger business for one railway division, such as Lahore, Karachi, Rawalpindi or Multan. Their phone numbers are printed in the Railway Time Table, according to the FAQ.
Call 1333 for safety, theft or a wheelchair
The Railway Police helpline is 1333. Pakistan Railways lists it for wheelchair requests at main stations, along with the Station Master's office. Use it too for theft, harassment or any threat on a train or platform, because the police handle crime and the commercial staff do not.
The inquiry number 117 is for train times, delays and reservations. It is not a complaint line. But a complaint that 117 does not answer, or that a station has no 117 service, is itself one of the complaint types Pakistan Railways lists, with a one week and a two week target.
Online ticket problems go to the helpline or your payment app
If you booked online and the money left your account but no ticket came, or a refund did not arrive, the problem may sit with the payment company rather than the railway. The Pakistan Railways contact page lists separate numbers for each.
| Paid through | Complaint number |
|---|---|
| Pakistan Railways e-ticketing | 042-99070011 |
| JazzCash | 042-111-124-444, or 4444 from a Jazz number |
| Easypaisa | 0345-1113737, or 3737 from a Telenor number |
| UBL | 021-111-825-777 |
Keep your booking reference, the payment transaction ID and a screenshot of the debit. Refund complaints for online and advance tickets have a one week target. The refund rules themselves, including how much you lose after the train leaves, are in Pakistan Railways' refund rules.
Each complaint type has a published deadline
Pakistan Railways publishes an estimated time to resolve 14 types of complaint. Most take one or two weeks. Use these dates when you follow up, because they are the railway's own promise.
| Complaint | Target time |
|---|---|
| Overcharging or black marketing of tickets | 1 week |
| Late arrival or departure of trains | 1 week |
| Food quality on trains | 1 week |
| Train lighting or air conditioning | 1 week |
| Clean drinking water on trains or at stations | 1 week |
| Vending stalls at stations | 1 week |
| 117 staff not answering the phone | 1 week |
| Refund of online or advance tickets | 1 week |
| Cleanliness of coaches and stations | 2 weeks |
| Train stoppage, new trains or extra coaches | 2 weeks |
| Reservation quota at a station | 2 weeks |
| Freight or parcels | 2 weeks |
| No 117 inquiry at a station | 2 weeks |
| Road surface at level crossings | 1 month |
The online complaint form was down when we tried it
The Pakistan Railways website links to a "Suggestions and Complaints" page. When we opened it on 9 October 2026, it returned a server error and no form. It may come back, so try it. But do not count on it as your only record.
If the Complaint Book and the division do not help within the published time, use the federal routes. Follow these steps in order:
- Write it in the Complaint Book and photograph the page.
- Call or visit the Divisional Commercial Officer of the division where it happened, and give the date of your entry.
- Wait for the published target time, one week or two weeks depending on the complaint.
- File on the Pakistan Citizen's Portal and choose the Ministry of Railways. The steps are in how to use the Pakistan Citizen's Portal to complain.
- Go to the Wafaqi Mohtasib if the portal closes your case without a fix. Pakistan Railways is a federal body, so the federal ombudsman can hear it free of cost, as set out in how to complain to the Wafaqi Mohtasib.
A late or cancelled train can mean a refund
The Pakistan Railways FAQ says a passenger gets a refund for the part of the journey not travelled when a train runs more than 6 hours late. If a train stops on the way because of an accident or a railway fault, the FAQ lists transport to the nearest station, food, another train, and transport of luggage.
For death or injury in a railway accident, the same page states compensation of Rs 200,000 for a death and up to Rs 100,000 for grievous injuries. We could not find the date of that figure on the page, and some of the FAQ's other figures, like meal prices, are clearly old. Treat it as the published figure, not the latest one, and ask the division in writing.
Before you travel, it also helps to know your luggage allowance in each class, since overweight bags are a common source of disputes with staff.
Common questions
What is the Pakistan Railways complaint number?
There is no single complaint line. Use the Complaint Book on the train or at the station, call Railway Police on 1333 for safety, and call 042-99070011 for online ticketing problems.
Is 117 a complaint number?
No. 117 is the inquiry number for train times and reservations. Pakistan Railways does accept complaints about 117 not being answered.
How long does Pakistan Railways take to resolve a complaint?
One week for most problems, including overcharging, late trains, food and refunds. Two weeks for cleanliness and reservation quotas. One month for level crossing road repairs.
How do I complain about overcharging for a ticket?
Go to the Station Manager or Station Master in charge, or the Divisional Commercial Officer, and write it in the Complaint Book. The target time is one week.
Can I complain to Pakistan Railways online?
The website's complaint page returned an error when we tried it on 9 October 2026. The Pakistan Citizen's Portal works for any federal body, including the Ministry of Railways.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
We checked this on 9 October 2026. Sources: the Pakistan Railways FAQ, the Pakistan Railways complaint resolution times and the Pakistan Railways contact page. We did not call any of the numbers, so we cannot say how fast they answer.
About the author
Senior Writer, Public Services and Technology
Shahid joined us in 2024 as an author. He is a senior contributor to Pakistan's leading technology websites. He writes detailed articles, mostly covering his expertise in the latest tech, mobiles, apps, gadgets, and step-by-step guides. His ideology is to help people understand the latest trends and explain complex methods through very easy-to-understand guides.
