HARIPUR: A Karachi-bound passenger train escaped derailment near Haripur railway station on Wednesday.

More than 200 passengers and train crew were on the train when the incident occurred.

However, they all remained unharmed.

The Hazara Express Down 12 train remained stuck there for around two hours due to the partial derailment of the train engine’s front wheels.

The Rescue Squad of Pakistan Railways from Taxila put them back on the track and repaired the track, restoring the train service on the Havelian-Taxila section.

Official sources told Dawn that the train with eight bogies and around 200 passengers left the Haripur railway station at around 3pm.

They added that as the train’s engine was about to get on the main track near the southern exiting signal of the railway station, its front wheels started drifting from the tongue rail causing an unusual sound prompting the driver to slam on the brakes to bring the train to a screeching halt.

“The driver skillfully brought the moving train to a halt without wasting time,” said Khalid Mehmood of Mohallah Railway Station, who was there at that time.

Another resident, Ashiq Hussain, said the train was moving slowly when the engine’s front wheels started derailing.

“Had the driver not acted swiftly yet professionally, the train would have skidded off the track falling several feet down causing casualties,” he claimed.

Haripur station master Nazakat Khan insisted that a technical fault would have caused the incident.

He said the engine, all bogies, passengers and train crew remained safe.

Railway station officer Farman Ali told Dawn that it was too early to say anything about the cause of the incident.

He said an inquiry had been launched to ascertain whether the incident was caused by a mistake in track changing process or some other reason.

Published in Dawn, February 22nd, 2024