Train services suspended across Balochistan

Move comes after security warnings; resumption linked to situation review

QUETTA:

Train services across Balochistan were suspended on Thursday after Pakistan Railways halted operations across the province due to heightened security concerns.

Officials said the decision was taken purely as a precaution following security alerts, acknowledging that while the disruption is inconvenient, the safety of passengers and railway staff must come first.

The suspension affected several key routes, including the Jaffar Express operating between Quetta and Peshawar and the Bolan Mail bound for Karachi. The Jaffar Express, scheduled to arrive from Peshawar to Quetta, was also cancelled, and the passenger service to Chaman will remain off the tracks for the day.

Passengers who had planned to travel voiced frustration over the sudden cancellations, but many accepted that security risks could not be ignored. Authorities have advised travellers to remain in touch with official helplines and local stations for updates on when services may resume.

Railway officials said operations will be restored once the security situation stabilises, adding that passenger safety was their top priority. The concern was particularly acute as the Jaffar Express has previously been targeted in the mountainous Bolan Valley.

Last month, the Peshawar-bound Jaffar Express once again narrowly escaped an armed attack in the Bolan Pass area of Kachhi district.

The incident marked the sixth attack on the Jaffar Express along the Quetta–Sibi stretch in less than two months. Train services between Quetta and the rest of the country were suspended in March due to the unprecedented hijacking of the Peshawar-bound Jaffar Express earlier that month.

The train, travelling from Quetta to Peshawar and carrying 440 passengers, was hijacked near Balochistan's Sibi area on March 11, resulting in the deaths of 21 passengers and four security personnel.