RAWALPINDI: Two luggage scanners have started working at Rawalpindi Railway Station to check explosive material.

Pakistan Railways Divisional Superintendent (DS) Abdul Malick told Dawn that 11 major railway stations including Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar and Quetta would have scanners.

He said one luggage scanner had been installed to check the passengers luggage while the other at cargo terminal. He said after going through the scanner, the luggage would have a ‘security-clearance’ tag.

He said that the security of Rawalpindi and Chaklala railway stations had been beefed up with the deployment of additional force of Railway Police. He said the local police were also working closely with the Railways management. “Boundary walls around the railway stations are being constructed which will have razer wire,” he said.

He said that the parking in and around the railways station had been stopped temporarily. The DS said additional check posts had also been established.

The basic aim of this whole exercise is to provide safe and secure environment to the passengers, he said, adding the railway staff had been asked to deal with the passengers politely so that they would cooperate with them.

Pindi-Kohat train

Pakistan Railways will re-start Rawalpindi-Kohat train service in April. The service had been suspended around eight years ago.

The DS told Dawn that the railways had completed the home work and waiting for the start of the summer time table in April. He said that mostly people would benefit from this train in coming days.

He said that both Peshawar and Rawalpindi divisional administrations had finalized the arrangements to run the train.

He said the duration would be three hours from Rawalpindi to Kohat and the speed of the train would be maintained as per standards modified by Pakistan Railways.

Published in Dawn, February 21st, 2017