Public utility: Rain wreaks havoc on railways

Officials say people prefer to travel by bus.

PESHAWAR:

The recent spate of torrential rain in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa has severely hindered operations of Pakistan Railways. Most trains reached their destinations later than scheduled, resulting in passengers opting to travel by road instead.

Over the last couple of days, the Peshawar division of Pakistan Railways has faced losses worth Rs0.3 million and a 50% decrease in the number of passengers travelling from the provincial capital to other parts of the country, said railway officials.

“The estimated time of travel between Peshawar and Karachi is 32 hours, but heavy rain has increased travelling time to 36 hours, which has affected both passengers and their relatives waiting at railway stations,” Commercial Inspector Muhammad Sadeeq told The Express Tribune.

He added that those who travel on their own usually rely on trains, but those with families prefer to go via road even though bus fares are much higher because they can reach their destinations on time.



“We have a capacity of 423 seats in three trains, but no more than 160 passengers have travelled in the last two days because people know the trains will be late,” Sadeeq said.

Currently, three trains are operating in Peshawar. They are Awami Express, Khyber Mail Express and Khushal Khan Express, which run between Karachi and Peshawar. A one-way train ticket costs Rs1,360, whereas a one-way bus ticket can cost up to Rs2,800. The estimated travel time by road is 24 hours.

Sadeeq also said there was a shortage of engines which resulted in trains arriving later than scheduled.

Peshawar Division currently has 139 locomotives which are lying dysfunctional at the Mianwali Railway Station after the government failed to get them repaired. Another 80 are lying dormant at Kundian shed due to the non-availability of spare parts, he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 7^th, 2013.