Margalla Tourist Train goes off track, again

ISLAMABAD:

The Margalla Tourist Train, owned and operated by the CDA Sports and Culture Department, went off the tracks soon after it was brought on the tracks after it was rusting away for months.

The train developed a fault on the third day of Eid and since then it has been parked for ‘maintenance work’.

The train, which was launched in January 2014 to provide a ride to the people visiting the Rose and Jasmine Garden, had developed a fault earlier as well and the CDA had to park it for five months before it was brought back on the tracks to run it during Eid holidays.

A gardener at the Rose and Jasmine Garden told Online that the train developed the fault on the third day of Eid. The train had been imported for Rs350 million and a source in CDA said spare parts of train were not available locally and CDA was in the process of replacing the engine with locally available parts.

Sports and Culture Director General Asif Shahjahan said that the Euro-4 diesel was required to run the train, which was only available in European countries.

He said that at present, they use Euro-1 diesel to run the train due to which it develops faults after every few days.

He said that the train would be operational before August 14 and the citizens will be offered a free ride on the Independence Day.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 26^th, 2015.