DADU: Three and a half months after they were damaged by floods, railway tracks between major Sindh cities were still not restored, causing problems for the passengers.

The track — up and down — running from Kotri to Larkana was unusable due to damages at several points between Sehwan and Dadu-Kotri-Jamshoro, and Dadu-Larkana.

The track suffered major damage near Dadu and Sehwan, where it was swept away by floodwater and around Jamshoro, which suffered damages due to torrential rainfall.

Officials have said repair works were underway but didn’t give a timeline as to when train operations will start.

Commuters forced to travel via ‘unsafe’ roads amid rail traffic disruption, officials say will take time to restore operations

The restoration work on the track between Kotri and Sehwan has been completed, while the track further north from Sehwan towards Dadu and Larkana was still damaged at five points, according to officials and locals.

Out of the five damaged points, the restoration work at two has been completed while three more were left.

Currently, repairs at Bubak — a town between Sehwan and Dadu — were being carried out, railway sources said, adding that restoration of train service will take some time.

“The railway staff has been working for many days to restore the track,” said one railway official.

Meanwhile, the track’s closure has exacerbated mobility issues for locals.

They have to put their lives in danger by travelling via roads, where cuts made to drain floodwater were yet to be repaired.

Last week, at least 20 people were killed after a passenger van fell into a ditch — made in September to drain water — at the Indus Highway near Sehwan.

“Due to the closure of train services between Kotri and Larkana, people were travelling by road which is costly and unsafe,” said Mohammad Anwar Samoo, a resident of Dadu.

He said road accidents have become frequent as the highway from Dadu to Sehwan and Dadu to Mehar that was damaged by floods has not been restored yet.

Mohammad Bux Machhi, a citizen of Sehwan said the Bolan Mail from Karachi to Quetta, Khushal Khan Khat­­­tak Express to Peshawar and Mohenjo Daro Express to Larkana were still closed.

Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique told Dawn that the trains service will be started on the Kotri-Dadu track as most of the track has been restored and the remaining work will be completed soon

“Directives have been issued to railway officials to repair all damaged tracks,” the minister said, adding that restoring flood-affected tracks in Sindh was the top priority of the federal government.

Published in Dawn, November 25th, 2022