I WAS greatly impressed by the frequent news reports and reviews in the media regarding a dramatic improvement in the upkeep and operation of railway service in the country. Therefore, I decided to experience it first-hand and booked a two seater ACC sleeper coupe on Shah Hussain Express from Karachi to Faisalabad departing on Jan 15.

I received the first shock at the railway station. The train’s only ACC coach seemed from a bygone era, probably from before partition. It was extremely dirty as if it has not been washed for months.

The coupe reserved in my name was extremely dirty. We could not see outside as the window had not been cleaned. The upper berth had insecure hinges hanging from the sides thus making lying on it a great risk to body and limb. The ladder to access the berth was missing and the cupboard meant to store it could not be closed as its locking mechanism was missing.

The toilet was extremely filthy and it was a challenge to use it. The basin was so filthy that I avoided using it during the journey. The mirror had lots of grime on it and was unusable.

Once the train started, the sound and vibration from underneath the carriage were so terrifying that it kept me and my wife awake for most of the night.

This was the state of the most expensive class of coupe for which Pakistan Railway had charged me a hefty amount. After the almost 16-hour ordeal came to an end in Faisalabad, my wife told me to forget about using the railways to return to Karachi

Shahid Sarwar
Karachi

Published in Dawn, January 26th, 2020