LAHORE: Minister for Railways and Aviation Khawaja Saad Rafique stated that the possibility of sabotage or a mechanical fault in the Hazara Express tragedy cannot be ruled out.

The federal government inspector of railways has been assigned to investigate the tragedy, which resulted in dozens of casualties on Sunday.

Meanwhile, during the ongoing rescue operation at the Hazara Express site, the Karachi-bound Khyber Mail also encountered an accident near Bahawalpur (Samasatta). Half of its coaches got separated from the rest and the locomotive. The driver promptly stopped the train and, with staff assistance, reconnected the detached portion with the rest of the train.

The official sources in the Pakistan Railways termed the derailment of the Havailian-bound Hazara Express as a result of breaking of the railway line, hot axle, which jammed movement.

Officials explore material failure as Saad terms track ‘fit’

“I had a bad feeling since morning. And this accident happened. The possibility of sabotage, mechanical fault, or anything else cannot be ruled out,” Mr Rafique told reporters at a press conference and later said in a video message along with the senior railway officers here on Sunday. “But we cannot confirm it at the moment until we get something confirmed that whether or not it happened due to a technical fault, sabotage, or accident,” he added.

The minister termed the railway track fit having no engineering restriction (related to speed limit, etc). “The driver has stated that the speed, at the time of derailment, was 50 kilometres per hour. We are checking this,” he maintained.

While appreciating the Pakistan Army, Pakistan Railways, respective district administration, Rescue 1122 in effectively carrying out rescue and relief operations, Mr Rafique said the entire Up/Down traffic on the Main Line-1 was suspended after the accident.

After the tragedy, train operations on Main Line-1 were suspended, while other trains halted at major stations to care for passengers. Rescue and relief efforts were conducted in collaboration with Pakistan Army, Rangers, and local authorities. The federal government inspector for railways and other railway officers proceeded to investigate the incident at the accident site.

Track safety concerns persist

On the other hand, official sources see the accident as a result of breaking of line at the certain portion of the track, hot axle, or other technical issues. “The way the passenger coaches derailed and overturned one by one clearly reflect hitting the wheels with the track’s spot that was either weak, cracked, or broken already and not able to bear the load. Another reason may be the hot axle that jammed the wheels (trolleys), separating chassis with the heavy steel body of the coaches,” an official source said while talking to Dawn when contacted.

When asked how the derailment happened since the certain track’s stretch was fit for 105km per hour speed, he said the accident can happen due to any reason. “In railways, the accidents are always measured, gauged, or assessed on three issues — material failure, system failure, or human failure. But in this case, it seems that the accident has apparently happened due to material failure — line breaking or jamming of the trolleys. However, there is no evidence related to the failure of human or the system as both remained intact and functioning well,” he explained. To a question, he said the possibility of sabotage, however, cannot be ruled out. “The people will come to know about the actual reasons behind the accident soon,” he added.

The Khanpur-Kotri-Khanpur section of Main Line-1 has been in a deteriorated state for an extended period, leading to frequent fatal and non-fatal accidents, particularly in the last five years. In 2021, the PR requested Rs30 billion for complete track rehabilitation between Khanpur and Kotri to prevent further loss of lives and property. However, both the PTI-led and PDM-led federal governments delayed approval, citing it as unnecessary due to the planned ML-1 project under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

“The situation is very disappointing as the Rs30bn PC-1 meant for the rehabilitation of the 470km track from Khanpur to Kotri — a stretch that has seen the majority of fatal and non-fatal accidents, especially in the last four to five years — is yet to be approved,” said an official source.

The PR plans to rehabilitate 15km to 25km critical stretches on the 470km Khanpur-Kotri section by replacing them with new tracks. Maintenance of less-dangerous portions is also included. Due to delays in ML-1 project approval, PR decided to fund and collaborate with the federal government for independent rehabilitation, aiming to prevent accidents on the notorious “Khooni” line in Sukkur and Karachi divisions. The track has caused frequent accidents, resulting in loss of life, injuries, and damage to railway infrastructure. The official expressed lament over the lack of attention from rulers to save lives.

PR Chief Executive Officer was not available for comments.

Published in Dawn, August 7th, 2023