QUETTA: The provincial capital remained cut off from northern parts of Balochistan and Sindh for the second consecutive day on Monday as railway authorities cancelled two passenger trains.

However, Jaffar Express and Akbar Bugti Express left for Rawalpindi and Lahore respectively several hours late.

The passengers who had purchased tickets for Bolan Mail to travel to Karachi and Chaman by another train faced difficulties because the railway authorities did not inform them about cancellation of the trains.

Take a look: Train drivers go on strike in Quetta

The railway officials said four trains, including Jaffar Express and Akbar Bugti Express, were on track.

Quetta division’s Chief Controller Mohammad Kashif Khan told Dawn that efforts were being made to meet the demands of locomotive drivers who were on strike.

He said the protesting drivers had been demanding locomotives which had the dynamic brake control system.

Dynamic brakes had been installed in four engines carrying trains to and from Quetta, Rawalpindi and Lahore. The demands of the Quetta division had been sent to the Railway headquarters, the chief controller added.

“It is the job of the mechanical engineering section to send equipment for installing in locomotives.”

Kashif Khan said it would take time to install dynamic brakes in all locomotives running between Quetta and other cities.

Meanwhile, the protesting drivers said they were ready to operate trains which were in good condition and had locomotives fitted with the dynamic brake control system. “It is not a matter of saving lives of railway employees only but also of thousands of passengers,” they said.

Mohammad Hussain, the leader of the striking drivers, said they were running locomotives with air brakes, while drivers had been demanding locomotives with dynamic brake control.

“Locomotives running trains in other parts of the country have both systems of brake control.”

Out of 15 locomotives at the Quetta division, only four had dynamic brake control system.

A senior railway officer said the situation would normalise in three to four days because the dynamic brake control system was being installed in other locomotives too.

Published in Dawn, November 24th, 2015