NAROWAL: The Sialkot-to-Lahore Lasani Express train’s two bogies derailed on Tuesday near Kot Mulchand Railway Station.

The driver applied brakes and there were no reports of human casualty or injury.

Passengers Ali Annan and Kamran Afzal said the train was running at 15km per hour to stop at Kot Mulchand Railway Station, when its bogies derailed.

“Passengers of several other trains faced problems due to humid and stuffy weather as the rail traffic remained suspended due to the train accident,” Annan said.

Trains were also stopped at a nearby station due to the accident. Allama Iqbal Express train from Sialkot via Narowal to Lahore Karachi was stopped at Sri Rampura railway station. Allama Iqbal Express train coming from Karachi and Faiz Ahmed Faiz passenger trains were stopped at Shahdara railway station.

Hafiz Abdul Qayyum, a regular railway passenger, said they had lodged a complaint two weeks ago with the railway authorities about the malfunction of the bogies of the passenger train but no one listened to them.

He said the Lahore-Narowal railway track was in a dilapidated condition and several requests had been made to the railway authorities to change its track but still the trains were being run at the risk of the lives of passengers.

Passengers demanded the railways minister and the prime minister immediately issue orders to change the Lahore-Narowal railway track so that passengers could travel safely.

Published in Dawn, September 23rd, 2020