LAHORE: The Pakistan Railways (PR) has suspended its train operations at various sections, including one situated on the Main Line 1 (Sukkur-Quetta), after the flash floods washed away the tracks at various spots in the country. The situation has also forced the authorities to cancel or delay departure of various trains, according to official sources.

“At present, the train operations between Kotri-Dadu near Sehwan Sharif and Habib Kot-Sibi and Dera Murad Jamali sections have been suspended, squeezing operations of various trains till the stations situated in the safe zones,” a senior official told Dawn.

He said the Jafar Express operation had been squeezed to Sibi from Sukkur while the same strategy had been adopted at other sections affected by floods.

According to a spokesman for the railways, the train operation at Jacobabad-Notal has also been suspended due to erosion of soil under the track caused by the floods.

“At present, six inches to one foot water is flowing over the tracks at these stations, leaving the PR with no option but to stop the train operation,” the official said, adding that the PR teams had also started work to rehabilitate the affected portions of the tracks at various locations.

It may be mentioned that the train operations remained suspended during the second week of the ongoing month at Narowal-Sialkot section after the Nullah Dek originating from the India-held Kashmir overflowed and washed away the railway line. However, the authorities got the operation resumed after rehabilitating the affected track within a couple of days.

Meanwhile, the departure of the Pak Business Express and Shah Hussain Express from Lahore to Karachi was cancelled by the authorities on Sunday. Similarly, the departure of Karakoram Express and Karachi Express also faced delays for hours from Lahore due to the late arrival caused by the rains.

MEETING: Federal Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafique presided over a meeting here at the Railway Headquarters which decided to develop five major train stations in Karachi, Lahore, Faisalabad, Peshawar and Quetta on modern lines.

Since these stations are the commercial hubs, the plan to develop them with provision of the state-of-the-art services will increase the revenue of the railways.

“You are also required to post staff at the PR Gwadar office immediately,” the minister said. He asked the officers to ensure availability of all power vans in fit condition by November and double all the single DG sets in the system. He said the work on Thar Coal Connectivity Project and the concept of Dedicated Freight Corridor from Karachi Port Terminal to Pipri project must be expedited.

Mr Rafique directed the administration to improve the sanitation at the railway stations. The meeting decided to present the business proposal of ML3 to the Qatar government and the investors during the minister’s visit to Qatar.

Published in Dawn, August 22nd, 2022