TAXILA, March 4: Rail traffic between Rawalpindi-Peshawar section remained suspended for over four hours on Sunday when a boogie of a Peshawar-bound passenger train broke down near Margalla Hills, about eight kilometers east of Taxila station, damaging 28 sleepers and 500-meter track.

Railway authorities told Dawn that the 327-Up Peshawar-bound passenger train coming from Lahore, when reached near Margalla Hills around 11:30am, the wheels of a bogie came off. The train dragged the boogie up to 500 meters damaging the track and 28 sleepers.

The railway maintenance staff from Taxila and Rawalpindi restored traffic after four hours. The incident caused suspension of traffic at Sangjani, Golra, Taxila, Kot Najeebullah and Rawalpindi and Attock railway stations.

The Karachi-bound Awami Express left Taxila at 3:15pm instead of 1.30pm.

Talking to this reporter, a high ranking railway police official ruled out the possibility of sabotage and said that the cause of the accident was purely technical. He said a high level inquiry had been ordered into the accident.