Railways set to act as Islamabad Express probe fixes responsibility

LAHORE:

The inquiry into the Islamabad Express train accident has been completed, and the report has been forwarded to the Ministry of Railways.

Upon receiving the findings, Railways Minister Hanif Abbasi is expected to initiate legal proceedings against those found responsible within the next few days.

It is pertinent to note that the Islamabad Express was involved in an accident near Kala Shah Kaku on August 1. As many as 25 passengers were injured in the incident, while five bogies derailed and overturned.

Following the tragic accident, the railways minister ordered an investigation and directed that a report be submitted within a week. Acting on these instructions, Federal Inspector of Railways Amir Nisar Chaudhry was appointed as the inquiry officer. He inspected the accident site and collected evidence.

During the investigation, statements were recorded from the train driver, assistant train driver, guard, special ticket examiner and railway police personnel, in addition to officials from the railways' mechanical, electrical and civil departments.

After the accident, a three-member team consisting of officials from the mechanical, traffic, commercial and civil engineering departments issued its initial joint certificate report. According to the preliminary findings, the accident was caused by the dismantling of the track joint.