ISLAMABAD, Nov 6 (ABC): Pakistan Railways has restored more passenger trains after repair and maintenance of railway tracks which were badly affected by heavy rains and subsequent floods. “The decision was taken on the direction of Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafique to facilitate the passengers who were suffering a lot due to non-availability of trains,” an official told on Sunday. He said that the repair and maintenance work of the tracks could not be fully completed but the teams were working day and nights to restore the damage tracks. Before restoration of passenger trains on any track, he informed that a trial run of an inspection train was managed to check maintenance and repair work of the track.
He said that the minister had directed the authorities concerned to complete technical work and carry out fumigation in passenger coaches as soon as possible. “Before resuming the train operation, he said that the technical maintenance of the passenger bogies and those in the workshops would also be repaired and made part of the operation,” he added. The official said that the Ministry had also given a go-ahead for resumption of the operation of Tezgam Express (Karachi to Rawalpindi) from Nov 1 and Hazara Express (Karachi to Havelian) from Nov 10. Meanwhile, he said that Pakistan Railways would also restore the operation of Jaffer Express from Peshawar Cantonment-Mach-Peshawar from Nov 20 instead of Baha-ud-Din Zakaria Express.
The trains were earlier running between the Quetta-Peshawar- Quetta section, he told. The official informed that Pakistan had also restored Jaffar Express (Sukkur-Much) as the railway track condition of the section had been improved while the repair of the railway track between Mach and Quetta was underway. It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan Railways had suspended its operations on August 21 on various sections after flash floods which had washed away different tracks particularly Rohri-Tando Adam, Paddidan-Bhiria, Daur-Bandhi and Bocheri-Nawabshah sections and Nawabshah yard. The Sibbi-Quetta and Dalbandeen-Quetta, Kotri-Dadu near Sehwan Sharif and Habib Kot-Sibi and Dera Murad Jamali and Jacobabad-Notal sections were also affected because of the floods.