Work begins to restore rail track
SERVICE FAILURE: Train operations remain suspended post Daharki train accident. Affected families term help desks set up by Pakistan Railways ‘useless’ as they fail to provide information about the crash victims. P
Pakistan Railways (PR) has started rehabilitation work of 33.50 kilometer track ‘through sleeper renewal’ between Quetta-Bostan and Quetta-Chaman section.
“The track will not only facilitate the passengers, but also connect three major cities of the province,” an official source in the Ministry of Railways told APP.
He said railway network in Balochistan province mainly consisted of Quetta Division having Dera Allah Yar Sibi-Quetta, Quetta-Chaman, Sibi-Khost, Spezend-Dalbandin-Taftan and Bostan-Zhob which were closed for the last 15 years.
He said there were two passenger trains namely Jaffer Express (40Up, 39 Down) and Chaman Passenger (349Up, 350 Down) operating in Balochistan while no stations had been closed during the last 15 years in Quetta division.
He said the overall length of the railway track in Balochistan was 1470.36 kilometer including the closed Bostan-Zhob section.
“Most of the track is more than one hundred year old and on certain stretches, engineering speed restrictions have been imposed due to deferred maintenance and owing to resource constraints,” he noted, adding that the routine maintenance of track was being carried out with available resources.
To improve railway services in Balochistan, he said the department was taking several steps like approval of PC-I for the track’s rehabilitation and the rehabilitation of another 100-km track between Ahmedwal Dalbadin on Quetta-Taftan section.
He said that 100-km rehabilitation of track between Nokundi Kohi-Taftan on Quetta-Taftan section while 160.024 kilometers rehabilitation of track between Bostan-Chaman on Quetta-Chaman section would be carried out.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 25th, 2022.