Monsoon chaos hits rail network

Passengers endure lengthy station waits; trains limited to 10–20 km/h

RAWALPINDI:

Rail services on several major routes across Punjab have been severely disrupted after torrential monsoon rains inundated sections of the railway track, forcing Pakistan Railways to reduce train speeds and resulting in delays of between three and five hours on numerous passenger services.

The disruption has affected all 15 passenger trains operating on the Peshawar–Lahore–Karachi and Faisalabad–Lahore–Karachi corridors, leaving passengers and their families facing lengthy waits at railway stations.

Pakistan Railways has directed locomotive drivers to operate trains at speeds of 10 to 20 kilometres per hour on affected sections of track as a precautionary measure to minimise the risk of accidents caused by waterlogged infrastructure.

On Monday, the Green Line Express from Karachi to Rawalpindi, scheduled to arrive at 2:20pm, reached its destination at approximately 4:45pm.

Similarly, the Rehman Baba Express, due at 4:55pm, arrived at around 8pm, while the Khyber Mail, scheduled for 6:20pm, did not reach Rawalpindi until approximately 11:30pm.

Several other major services, including the Pakistan Express, Karakoram Express, Allama Iqbal Express, Pak Business Express, Tezgam and Zakaria Fareed Express, also arrived between three and four-and-a-half hours behind schedule. Departures of outbound trains were likewise delayed as the disruption spread across the network.

Pakistan Railways said sections of the railway track in several cities remained submerged following heavy rainfall, necessitating speed restrictions to ensure passenger safety and protect railway operations until water levels recede and track conditions improve.