LAHORE: Two men were killed on Monday after the Karachi-bound 34-down Pak Business Express collided with a motorcycle-rickshaw at an unmanned level-crossing between Kahna and Jia Bagga stations, about 20km from the Lahore main railway station.

The accident also caused derailment of the engine, a luggage van and two passenger coaches besides damaging the track badly due to applying of emergency brakes by the driver. The deceased included the rickshaw driver and a man travelling with him.

The train, according to official sources of the Pakistan Railways (Lahore division), left the Lahore railway station at about 4pm for Karachi. When it was about to reach the point of an unmanned crossing between the Kahna and Jia Bagga stations, it hit a motorcycle-rickshaw which appeared on the track from nowhere .

“The accident took place at 4:46pm. Though the driver applied emergency brakes, he couldn’t avert the collision. The rickshaw driver and the passenger travelling with him died on the spot,” says a spokesman for the PR police.

He said all the passengers including the crew travelling in the derailed and other coaches remained safe. Senior officials, including the divisional superintendent and deputy superintendent of the PR police, also reached the spot.

“A relief train carrying a crane was also dispatched to the site that put the derailed coaches and engine on the track,” he added.

On the other hand, the entire train operation on the down track (between Lahore and Raiwind) remained suspended for several hours, as the rehabilitation of the track, putting coaches and engine back on the track took time.

“We also sent a locomotive to the site that brought all the coaches - other than the derailed ones - back to the Kot Lakhpat railway station. We did it in a bid to attach two new coaches and a locomotive with the rake in order to dispatch the train,” a PR (Lahore Division) spokesman told Dawn.

He said due to closure of the down track, all Karachi-bound trains were diverted to the up-track from Kahna station.

It merits mentioning that a number of accidents frequently happened from 2019 to 2022 included many at unmanned crossings in Pakistan. These included killing of 22, including 20 Sikh pilgrims, in July 2020 after a train rammed into a bus at Sucha Soda, a small town near Farooqabad in Sheikhupura district.

Another similar accident happened near Pattoki at an unmanned level crossing when a train hit a car carrying two newly-wed couples who died on the spot.

Till December 2020, there were 3,000 unmanned crossings across the country, with 550 in Lahore division which also includes Sheikhupura, Okara and Faisalabad. “At unmanned level crossings, it is, under the law, purely a responsibility of road users to cross carefully. Law also allows taking necessary legal action against those crossing a railway track at an unmanned level crossing in case of an accident,” said an official.

He said as many as 100 unmanned crossings and unauthorised passages were closed by the PR (Lahore division).

He said if any railway servant notices a transport vehicle crossing a class 3 level crossing without complying with the requirement of section 91 (i) of the West Pakistan Motor Vehicle Ordinance 1965, its number with available particulars shall immediately be brought to the notice of the sectional permanent way inspector of railways or the nearest station master shall promptly report the matter to police.

“The driver of a transport vehicle who desires to pass over a railway level crossing shall cause the vehicle to stop before the crossing and shall not attempt to pass over the crossing unless permission of the conductor of the vehicle, or where the vehicle has no conductor, a person authorised in this behalf by the owner of the vehicle in writing other than the driver of the vehicle walks before the vehicle until it has cleared the railway line (sic),” reads section 16.9 of the ordinance.

He said similarly as per Railway Act 1890, the responsibility for upgrade of unmanned level crossing lies with the provincial governments and road authorities concerned, for whom the ministry of railways may provide all possible technical assistance.

Published in Dawn, December 20th, 2022