Railway station becomes centre of chaos, frustration

Hundreds of passengers stranded on platform due to drivers' strike

LAHORE: Train drivers halted operations across the country to demand pay scale upgradation and reinstatement of drivers.

Lahore was no different as hundreds of passengers going to various parts of the country were left stranded at the railway station on Sunday. Dozens of trains, including Karachi Express, Fareed Express, Allama Iqbal, Khyber Mail, Tezgham, Karakorum Express, Millat Express and Pakistan Express ground to a halt at different railway stations after the drivers’ union went on strike.



Operations remained suspended between Saturday and Sunday night, causing tremendous inconvenience passengers. They were reportedly resumed after action was taken by Federal Minister for Railways Khwaja Saad Rafique. Some passengers had to spend a whole day and night on platforms amid the hot and humid summer. Muhammad Rashid complained that he had been waiting for seven hours due to the strike call. Sadly for him, there was little chance of him catching a ride on any of the bogeys in the foreseeable future.

“All passenger trains are late by almost eight to ten hours. You can see hundreds of passengers, including children and families, stuck here at the Lahore Railway Station. Even so, authorities are refusing to shed any light on the situation.”

Nabila, another passenger, said she and her three young children were stuck in Lahore because their train was delayed. “After meeting relatives in Gujranwala, I reached the Lahore Railway Station to catch a Karachi-bound train, but the only thing I have gotten into is big trouble.”

She said her family in Karachi was continuously calling on her cell phone and asking about the journey, but nobody knows when it may start. “A few of my family members also contacted the railways office in Karachi to get updated position, but all efforts were in vain,” she said.



In stark contradiction to the complaints of passengers, who claimed they had been stranded for several hours, a Pakistan Railways spokesman said the authority had restored all operations at 7am.

Passengers who could not start their journey till Sunday evening were frustrated by the Pakistan Railways administration and said there was no change in the attitude of officials. The government, many said, was making false claims that it had revamped the rail infrastructure in the country and trains were running on time.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, July 24^th, 2017.