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| May 29, 2005 | Sunday | Rabi-us-Sani 20, 1426 |
Rail traffic partially restored: Train schedule disrupted
RAHIM YAR KHAN, May 28: Rail traffic suspended after the derailment of a goods train on Friday was partially restored after 20 hours on Saturday morning. Thirteen container coaches had derailed at 2pm on Friday when the goods train bound for upcountry destinations left Taranda station, 15km from here. The loaded coaches badly damaged up and down tracks besides causing cracking two bridges over small water courses.
Authorities at the local railway station said the down track was restored at 9am which enabled express trains halted at various stations to resume their journey. Work on the upcountry track was still going on at 10pm on Saturday.
Reports reaching here from Taranda and Kot Samaba suggested the down track was also not fully operational. “Trains are made to wait at the Kot Samaba and Taranda stations before giving them green signal after suspending restoration work,” a passenger coming from Multan said.
At 9pm this correspondent received a call from a friend coming from Lahore by Shalimar Express that the train had been halted at Kot Samaba for over two hours and that there were no signs of its departure. There was no official at the local railway station to give reason of halting Shalimar after the ‘restoration’ of the down track.
Our reporter adds from Lahore: The derailment delayed several trains from five to 16 hours.
Sources told Dawn on Saturday that Karachi-Lahore night coach and Allama Iqbal Express were late by 16 hours, Jaffar Express by 15 hours, Khyber Mail, Tezro and Tezgam by 13-and-a-half hours, Karakuram Express by 12 hours, Madr-i-Millat Express by seven-and-a-half hours, Faisalabad night coach by six-and-a-half hours while Super Express by five hours.
“A probe has been ordered and the federal government inspector of railways will be going to the site soon,” a senior officer said.
Meanwhile, passengers visiting the railway station and those who contacted inquiry by phone said the railways failed to give them any schedule of delayed departures and arrivals.
A Karachiite told Dawn by phone that he cancelled his booking in Karachi Express after the authorities could not tell him when the train would leave the Sindh capital.
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