Railway in Ruins

The country’s railway division is still in disrepair, with passenger and goods trains that operate on it prone to accidents

SUKKUR: In Pakistan, train accidents have become commonplace. Every day, there are reports of passenger trains and goods vehicles derailing, as well as colliding with one another.

Major passenger train accidents have occurred within the boundaries of the Sukkur Railway Division, and more incidents of derailment of passenger trains and freight vehicles have also happened within the same railway division.

Sukkur Railway Division extends from Khanpur in Punjab to Tando Adam, a distance of 525 kilometres, and Sibi, a distance of 499 kilometres, in Balochistan province. The Sukkur railway division is therefore considered the most dangerous in terms of travel among the seven divisions of the railway department.

Former Federal Minister of Railways, Sheikh Rasheed, and former Senator, Azam Swati, both described the Sukkur railway division as extremely dangerous due to poor track and signalling.

On January 4, 1990, the worst train accident in Sukkur history occurred near Sangi, in the district of Sukkur, killing 307 passengers and injuring many more. On July 13, 2005, an accident occurred in the Shard area of Ghotki district involving the Quetta Express, Karachi Express, and Tezgam Express. The railway station staff signalled the Karachi Express coming from Lahore to pass through the same railway line due to a technical fault, and the Karachi Express collided with the Quetta Express at the station with full force.

In this accident, bogies from the Karachi Express and the Quetta Express fell on the up-track from Karachi to Punjab, while Tezgam, which was travelling from Karachi to Lahore and also passing through the up-track, collided with these bogies, resulting in this terrible accident. This incident was significant in the history of train accidents in Pakistan because three trains were involved in a collision at the same time.

On July 11, 2019, Akbar Express collided with a freight car near Rahim Yar Khan in the Sukkur Railway Division. In this crash, 20 passengers were killed and 60 were injured. On October 31, 2019, a passenger train near Rahim Yar Khan caught fire, causing the deaths of 74 passengers and injuring dozens more due to burns.

On February 28, 2020, the Pakistan Express collided with a passenger bus at a railway gate near Rohri, killing 22 people and injuring many more. The accident happened when the passenger bus became stuck in the railroad gate. On June 7, 2021, the Malat Express from Karachi to Sargodha collided with the Sir Syed Express bogies near Dharki, killing 66 passengers and injuring over 100.

These are the statistics for some of the passenger train accidents that occurred on the railway’s Sukkur division. The railway track between Karachi and Lahore within the Sukkur Railway Division’s boundaries is in disrepair; it is weak, the signal system is old and worn out, and passenger trains and goods vehicles operating on it are prone to accidents.

Tariq Latif, a former divisional superintendent of Sukkur Division Railways, had sent a report to the railway head office about the affected track, in which it was stated that the up and down railway track had become dilapidated and weak, and the signalling system was not functioning properly. Because railway engine drivers are afraid of speeding trains, this track must be maintained.

ML-1 is Pakistan’s largest railway track maintenance project, in which the railway track from Karachi to Peshawar will be laid on a modern basis in phases. The ML-1 project was initially estimated to cost Rs 8 billion, but that figure has now been raised to Rs 10 billion.

This project will begin in January 2023 and take five years to complete. Trains will be able to travel at speeds ranging from 130 km/h to 160 km/h once this project is completed. Prior to the ML-1 project, trains could no longer travel at high speeds on this railway track because, as a result of recent rains and floods, the Sukkur Karachi and Sukkur Quetta railway tracks were severely damaged, and traffic between these tracks was suspended for several weeks.

The railway traffic between Sukkur Karachi and Sukkur Quetta was restored some time ago, but there is a noticeable difference in the speed of the trains, and they are reaching their destination after a delay.

On the one hand, the railway track is in this condition; on the other hand, Sindh’s provincial minister, Sharjeel Memon, announced a few days ago that a bullet train will be run in Sindh. This train will initially run between Karachi and Hyderabad, and then from Karachi to Sukkur. Despite the fact that the provincial minister has made this announcement, the Railway Department may not have any information on the subject.

Bol News spoke with Muhammad Irfanul Haq, Divisional Superintendent of Pakistan Railways’ Sukkur Division, about the bullet train running in Sindh and the railway track in Sukkur Division.

“Rain and flood water have damaged the 212-kilometer track from Khanpur to Rohri, and water has flooded the railway track between Bhiria Road and Padaidan for several kilometers. There was also up to two feet of water on the track between Karachi and Lahore,” he stated.

He added that the railway track between Jacobabad and Dera Allah Yar was also breached and badly damaged at many places, in addition to the bridge between Sukkur and Quetta collapsing.

“The rain water caused significant damage, but we first focused our resources and railroad workers on the Karachi-Lahore railway track, where they worked day and night to remove the flood water. Khawaja Saad Rafiq, as well as other high-ranking officials, including the chairman of the railways, visited here. Due to collective effort, we were once again able to run passenger and goods trains,” Irfanul Haq maintained.

He stated that the trains are being delayed because a bridge between Bharia Road and Padaidan remains under water.

“The train’s speed is kept low wherever the track is still affected. Trains will arrive at their respective stations on time once the track has been fully reinforced. Clearly, our passengers are important to us and their safety is paramount,” he said.

Regarding the running of the bullet train between Sukkur and Karachi, he said that there is no such thing or plan to the knowledge of the railway department.

“How will Sindh’s government operate the bullet train? Will the provincial government lay a new railroad track to accommodate this? The bullet train cannot run on this railway track because it will undoubtedly be a high-speed train, and the existing railway track is not suitable for it. Only the Sindh government now knows where and how the Karachi-Sukkur bullet train will run,” he added.

DS Sukkur Railways expressed confidence in the ongoing work to improve the railway track and stated that efforts will be made to ensure that passenger and goods trains reach their destinations on time.