911 needed for 117

KARACHI: Passengers who wanted to check train departures and arrivals couldn't get through to the inquiry service '117' for hours, and when they did show up at Karachi Cantt Station on Tuesday, they were told that most trains were delayed for at least six hours.

They headed to the station early as public transport was scant. "I dialled 117 at least 43 times!" an irked passenger, Shahid, told The Express Tribune. "The phone has been busy since morning. At least on a day like this, when the whole city is shut down, their staff should be more efficient."

Shahid, who is a resident of Malir, was leaving for Faisalabad on the Millat Express which was scheduled to leave at 4 pm, but was delayed by seven hours. "My family and I had to walk all the way to Natha Khan Goth until we found a taxi."

Another passenger of the Millat Express got into a brawl with the station manager at Cantt Station, demanding an explanation. "If your officials had answered the inquiry helpline, they could have saved passengers this trouble and inconvenience," he said as he argued with Bashir Abbasi, who was unable to provide him with a satisfactory response.

Abbasi shifted the blame to the Karachi City Station that is now responsible for the inquiry services.

When contacted, the City Station divisional superintendent, Kamran Saeed, explained that the railway inquiry office has 18 lines and if all them were busy, it was "probably because a lot of people were inquiring". "In such a situation, passengers should be patient when they try 117, especially since trains are frequently being delayed," said Saeed.

The Lahore-bound Karakoram Express was the only one that left Cantt Station on time. "There were no buses on the road today. I paid Rs350 to a taxi to come here [Cantt Station] from Landhi," said Muhammad Ahmed as he waited for the Pakistan Express, which was heading to Rawalpindi. I cannot afford to go back home if the train is further delayed, he added.

The Tezgam and Pakistan Express were scheduled to leave at 4:45 pm and 2:30 pm, respectively, but were delayed until 8:30 pm and 11 pm. Ahmed blamed the railway authorities for neglecting the sector. "This is the poor man's mode of transport that is why the government doesn't care."

Ahmed's house in Rawalpindi was flooded in the recent rainfall and his family has been waiting for him to rescue them. "I have to be in 'Pindi in time so I can move my family to a safer place. But now with these train delays I am not sure what to tell them."

For their part, officials said that most of the trains are being delayed due to their slow speed and old, rusty tracks that have not been replaced for over four decades.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 4^th, 2010.