LAHORE: Pakistan Railways (PR) on Saturday restored up/down train operation on Lahore-Faisalabad track after the engineering staff succeeded in temporarily strengthening the existing pillars’ support to the bridge crossing over a nullah near Shahdara, about 15km from main Lahore station.

However, the construction of one of the collapsed pillars will take some time since it involves a number of engineering-related jobs, Dawn has learnt.

“We have restored the trains operation on the track within 24 hours after one of total four pillars collapsed due to soil erosion in the nullah meant for draining waste water,” an official source in the PR told Dawn when contacted on Saturday.

“We, at the moment, have strengthened the embankment with some earth-filling close to the collapsed pillar. And this has enabled us to restoring the rail traffic on this bridge,” the official, requesting anonymity said, terming the track ‘super fit’ for the train operation.

It is pertinent to mention that the train operation was suspended on Friday afternoon after collapsing of the pillar of the bridge. Thanks to locals, who reported the matter to the authorities, forcing the officers from PR Lahore division to immediately stop the operation on this track first and then rush to the spot to start some repair work and restore the traffic. “Had someone not informed the authorities concerned, any major accident could have been taken place at this spot in the form of collapse of the entire bridge at the time of passing of the train,” warned another official source. However, a spokesman for the PR claimed that the railway officials were already present near the bridge at the time of collapse of the pillar.

Published in Dawn, October 1st, 2023