KARACHI: Pakistan Rail­w­ays has decided to restore three more passenger trains with effect from Nov 1.

The three trains are: the Karachi-to-Rawalpindi Tezgam Express, Hazara Express (Karachi to Have­lian) and Bahauddin Zakaria Express (Karachi to Multan).

The train operations were suspended in August due to heavy rains and floods. The operations resumed earlier this month with two trains — the Karachi-to-Peshawar Rah­­­­man Baba Express and Khyber Mail.

According to APP, the Railways is likely to resume its services for Karachi during the first week of next month after completion of track repair and rehabilitation with the help of Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) and the district administrators in Sindh, sources in the Ministry of Railways said.

“The department has utilised all available resources to restore the rail service in flood-affected areas across the country,” a statement said.

Freight service

In the first phase of service resumption, the sources said, a freight train operation will begin on Nov 1, but only if the water recedes from the tracks’ vicinity and a clearance is received that all signals and bridges are working.

Pakistan Railways has directed the authorities concerned to complete a survey of affected installations on a war footing and expedite the rehabilitation process.

They added most of the workers were working in three shifts so that the tracks were restored without further loss of time.

The train service between Quetta and Karachi was suspended after a number of bridges collapsed and floodwaters submerged the tracks.

Published in Dawn, October 24th, 2022