July 10, 2007	Tuesday	Jamadi-us-Sani 24, 1428

LAHORE, July 9: Protesting against the railways failure to attach required AC coaches with the Karachi-bound Jinnah Express, passengers on Monday pulled the chain a few minutes after the train departure and blocked down-country track for more than an hour.

The passengers said four AC coaches were not the same they had paid for. Railway officials, however, said only one coach had been replaced because of rolling stock shortage.

The train which was brought back to the railway station left for its destination at around 10pm (after a delay of three and a half hours) with the same composition but after refunding the affected passengers accordingly.

A dozen passengers contacted Dawn by phone (from the scene of train blockade) and said that over 200 passengers who had bought tickets of AC slipper as well as Lower AC from Lahore to Karachi had been affected as the authorities attached low-fare coaches of other trains.

They pulled the chain near the Washing Lines, not far from the railway station, after realising that the air-conditioning system and other facilities were below par.

They got out of the train and lodged their protest with the train staff.

Ahmed Jan of Karachi said he had bought six tickets (Rs1,975 each) of Lower AC but was shocked to see the pathetic condition of the compartment.

“We will make the driver to take the train back to the platform”, he said.

Mr Jan said the attached coaches lacked required number of berths, required lighting and air-conditioning. The washrooms were also dirty.

Taking a train after a long time, Sheraz Rasheed of Lahore said, “It is really shocking for me to find the railways in such a state.”

The railways, according to him, was rather fleecing the public by providing them poor service.

Muhammad Shakeel who bought eight tickets of Business Class coach had complaint against the rude behaviour of train staff with passengers.

Lahore Railway Station officials said the departure of three trains — Karachi Express, Awam Express and Nishtar Express - was delayed because of the Jinnah Express episode.

Sajjad Lodhi, the guard in charge of Jinnah Express, said passengers had stopped the train forcibly near the Washing Lines in protest against attachment of poor coaches.

“We have attached coaches of other trains because of shortage (of rolling stock) as most of the trains running between Karachi and Lahore are behind schedule,” he said.

To placate the protesting passengers, railway authorities refunded them accordingly as the fare of Chinese coaches is more than the locally-built coaches.

Divisional Superintendent Muhammad Khalid said the passengers had protested against the attachment of one Pakistani coach.

Confirming the delay in departure of other trains as well, he said he would hold an inquiry into the entire episode.

“We do not have a complete rack of Chinese coaches and in case of emergency, Pakistani coaches have to be attached,” Khalid maintained.

The railways rolling stock shortage has been badly exposed during the current monsoon. With most of trains running way behind schedule, the authorities are finding it hard to keep the wheel moving.

An identical situation was faced by passengers of the Lahore-bound Karakoram Express at the Karachi Cantt station on July 4. “To our surprise, the entire train was made up of Pakistani coaches when we reached the station,” said Mr Mehdi Haider.

He said the passengers were refunded and made to buy tickets afresh. He said those who made to the Cantt Station late or could not hear the PR announcement were deprived of refund. The Economy Class passengers, he said, were not refunded.