Train operations marred by anguishing delays after rain

The Pakistan Railways (PR) on Monday struggled to restore its train operations thrown into disarray after incessant rains battered its shabby railway tracks, causing anguishing delays of eight to nine hours.

Throngs of passengers in several major cities, including Karachi, Lahore and Peshawar, were forced to put up with a seemingly perpetual wait for their trains to arrive while many got their tickets refunded, piling up the financial losses of the PR.

In this regard, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Pakistan Railways Farrukh Taimur said that the railway tracks on the Karachi-Peshawar section have been damaged due to rainwater.

He said the train operations have largely remained unsuspended despite the maintenance work being carried out to repair the eroded tracks, adding trains were running on all sections.

Train operations will resume as soon as the weather improves, he assured.

However, according to the details, the recent torrential rains have wrecked the tracks, snarling the operations and resulting in long delays stretching from seven to nine hours.

Sources revealed that the trains, including Millat Express and Pakistan Express, arrived eight hours late. Similarly, Lahore-bound Shah Hussain Express from Karachi also faced a delay of 8 hours.

Similarly, Allama Iqbal Express was also delayed for 8 hours.

The worn-out railway track of the Pakistan Railways, which has been suffering from economic woes, has become a threat to human lives, particularly for the common man who relies on cheap and affordable transportation.

Pakistan has a shoddy record in terms of train safety and passenger protocols as successive governments failed to pay attention to the erratic signal system and decaying railway tracks.

According to railway officials, 80 per cent of the dilapidated railway tracks were laid out more than 90 years ago, dating back to the last century.

Besides long delays and frequent disruptions due to rainwater, the decrepit railway infrastructure has also led to fatal accidents. Records seen by The Express Tribune reveal that 659 railway accidents have taken place in the last eight years, while the number of railway accidents has crossed 300 in the last three years of the present government, leaving 270 people dead and injuring more than 750 people.

A total of 39 people were killed in 131 train accidents that took place in 2018 alone.