LAHORE: At least one person was killed and at least a dozen wounded after the Lahore-bound Shalimar Express collided with a goods train at Lakha Road Railway Station in Sindh’s Naushahro Feroze district on Sunday.

While there was some confusion about the number of casualties, Railways Minister Hanif Abbasi and Rescue 1122 confirmed that a railway worker had lost his life in the collision.

Pakistan Railways has ordered an inquiry into the accident and constituted a three-member team to investigate the incident.

Haji Fayyaz, the driver of the Shalimar Express, told Dawn: “Our kanta (interlocking/signalling system) was set for the loop line, whereas we were supposed to pass the station without stopping. The brakes also did not work properly, and the signal was red.”

Rail traffic on main line disrupted, relief train dispatched to remove damaged coaches and wagons

According to the Central Command and Control of Rescue-1122, 13 passengers — including Javed Ahmed, Mohammed Awais, Shahzeb, Sajida, Nimra, Azhar Ali, Ghulam Mustafa, Riaz, Zaibun Nisa, Arif Khan, Tayyab ur Rehman, Ghulam Abbas, and Fiza Khatoon — were injured and received medical treatment.

Sources said that the engine and a coach of the Shalimar Express were badly damaged, and three wagons of the goods train were also derailed.

The railway employee who died in the accident was identified as Sukkur-resident Nadeem Shah, who was the guard deputed in the wagon of the goods train which was rammed by the passenger train.

Minister for Railways Hanif Abbasi, while confirming his death, claimed that Shah was “travelling covertly in the goods train”. According to sources, rail traffic on the main line was disrupted due to the collision, and a relief train was dispatched to the accident site to remove the damaged locomotive, coaches, and wagons.

Zulfiqar Memon in Nawabshah and Waseem Shamsi in Sukkur also contributed to this report

Published in Dawn, March 16th, 2026