LAHORE, April 16: You face wrath of your superiors if you relax the rules, but as far as Pakistan Railways is concerned the paradigm has to be reversed. The PR administration and the representatives of the signals department are engaged in an informal dialogue where the bosses are compelling their subordinates to forget the rule book as major trains were being delayed because of their `obsession’ with technical `modalities’.

The dialogue, however, remained inconclusive on Monday, with the two sides sticking to their respective stances.

Major trains have been reaching late at the Lahore and Karachi railway stations since April 12 owing to what the PR officials called `adoption of going-by-the-book policy’ by the signals’ staff in response to `implication’ of some of their colleagues in cases under 16-MPO.

Representatives of the signals’ staff told this reporter they were told by the administration that their demands would only be considered for acceptance if they immediately wound up the `work-to-rule policy’ or the ongoing practice of doing everything strictly by the book.

“But we categorically informed the senior officers that first accept our demands and then we’ll end the practice. We want revision of our pay scales and withdrawal of the false cases against our colleagues,” a signal staff member said.

Railways General Manager (Operations) Asad Saeed was not available for comment as he was busy finalising arrangements for the launch of a new express train to be inaugurated by the minister concerned at Narowal on Tuesday (today). However, another senior officer said the minister had agreed in principal to revise the pay scale of the signals staff. “The government is considering the matter, but things like this have to undergo a procedure that consumes time,” said the officer who wished not to be named.

The PR is perhaps the only railway service in the world that still uses the 18th century kerosene-lit semaphore signals, according to a retired chief engineer (signals).

Most of the signaling system equipment, he said, consisted of mechanical gear which had outlived its normal life decades ago.

He said the pre-partition system was still being used at 123 stations, permitting a speed limit of 15kms per hour. Some 185 stations had the system installed in 1947, which was upgraded in 1995, allowing a speed of 50kms per hour, while 20 other stations got a system in 1974 with a speed limit of 70kms per hour.

“The most modern mechanical system railways has on its 217 stations was installed before 1947, and upgraded in 1999, which allows a maximum speed of 96 to 105 kilometres per hour,” he said.

The latest electrical system or all-relay interlocking was installed between 1962-1969 on 40 stations on Karachi-Kotri, Panu Aqil-Chani Goth and Lahore-Badami Bagh main line sections, excluding Rahim Yar Khan and Khanpur, said the former chief engineer who too wished not to be named.

“The existing signaling systems of the Pakistan Railways neither meet the safety requirements of higher speeds, nor they are able to handle growing traffic density, and the possibility of their malfunctioning cannot be ruled out which may result in mishaps.

“Had there been modern systems, tragedies like the triple trains’ accident at the Sarhad station on July 13, 2005, and the derailment of 10 coaches of Karakorum Express near Samasata junction on Feb 4 the following year could have been avoided,” he maintained.