A bogie of a Quetta-bound Bolan Mail train was “partially damaged” on Thursday after an explosion struck a railway track in Balochistan’s Sibi district, officials said.
The 3Up train usually departs Karachi City Station in the day and arrives the next day in Quetta, with over 20 stops on its way, according to Pakistan Railways’ website.
“The railway track between Bakhtiarabad and Damboli areas was blown up with explosives, resulting in the Bolan Mail heading from Karachi to Quetta being hit,” station master Murtaza told reporters in Sibi.
He added that bogie No. 7 of the train was “partially damaged” in the incident. The train reached the Sibi railway station safely, he confirmed.
A statement by Muhammad Kashif, public relations officer of the Quetta Railway divisional superintendent, said: “We were informed that a blast occurred on the track at KM No. 200 between Damboli and Dangra while train 3UP was passing.
“However, the train passed safely and is now reaching Sibi. Train 40UP has been controlled at DMJJ (Dera Murad Jamali Station) as a precautionary measure.
With a rise in terrorist attacks over the past few years, Balochistan has seen a series of incidents when train tracks were blown up, targeting the province’s transport infrastructure.
Train services between Quetta and the rest of the country were restored on March 27, after they were suspended due to the unprecedented hijacking of the Peshawar-bound Jaffar Express earlier that month.
The train, travelling from Quetta to Peshawar and carrying 440 passengers, was hijacked near Balochistan’s Sibi area on March 11, resulting in the deaths of 21 passengers and four security personnel. “All 33 terrorists” were neutralised during the two-day clearance operation, the military said.
In June, a powerful explosion of a remotely controlled explosive device fitted to rail tracks caused four bogies of the Jaffer Express to derail in Jacobabad. No one was hurt in the incident.
In April, the 3UP train was stopped at Jacobabad railway station due to security reasons.