QUETTA: Train services from Quetta to other parts of the country were restored on Saturday after a major bridge swept away by floods in the Bolan district eight months ago was repaired.

The first train left for Peshawar from Quetta, carrying over 300 passengers. Train services to Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad will soon be restored. Besides, a special train will also depart from Quetta on Eidul Fitr.

Balochistan Governor Malik Abdul Wali Khan Kakar formally marked the restoration in a ceremony held at the Quetta Railway Station.

The rail link was disconnected in August after the century-old bridge — located between Mach and Kolpur at Hirak in the mountainous Bolan valley — was damaged due to heavy rains and floods.

Pakistan Railways partially restored train services between Mach and Rawalpindi in November, but passengers had to travel to Mach by road to board the trains .

The rebuilding of the railway bridge was started in September jointly by Pakistan Railways and the National Logistics Cell at the cost of Rs656 million.

“It was a difficult task to rebuild the railway bridge situated in a mountainous area in limited time and,” Fareed Ahmed, superintendent of Quetta railway division said, adding that constructing the two main pillars in the Bolan river bed was challenging amid rains and floods.

“I am very much happy about this train service from Quetta,” Fazal Muhammad, 40, a government employee leaving for Peshawar, told Dawn.

Zaman Khan Achakzai, 55, a trader who was travelling to Lahore, said: “Even today, train travel is the cheapest and most comfortable travel. With services restored, safe travel facilities have been made available to the people across the province.”

Published in Dawn, April 16th, 2023