Rail tragedy

Rail tragedy – Pakistan railways network is getting from bad to worse despite insensitive pouring of finances by the government. Its performance is putting lives of people in risk and it has become a dangerous mode of travel in a country whose population is spread out far and wide and requires consistent travelling. Unfortunately, an air of resignation pervades the Pakistani polity that simply does not pay much attention to such a deadly aspect of national life. Train derailments happen frequently on Pakistan’s poorly maintained railway lines, especially on the stretch between Khanpur and Karachi. More than 250 people have died and several hundred wounded in major train derailments, collisions and fires in the last 10 years. The neglect exhibited by successive governments points out that it does not really care about the life of the rail passengers because the overwhelming majority comes from the lower income groups of the population. The recent terrible incident near Nawabshah killed over 30 passengers of Hazara Express with railways officials blaming the derailment on the breakage of the railway line and hot axle issue jamming movement. Though the railways require investment to become profitable yet any investment would be futile if due care is not accorded to the safety of passengers. The Weekender