LAHORE: The rail traffic on the existing main line faced disruption for hours on Monday after two passenger coaches of the 9-UP Sialkot-bound Allama Iqbal Express derailed soon after it moved from the Khanewal station.

All passengers remained safe but the incident caused a massive loss to the coaches as well as the railway track, according to a PR official privy to the incident.

`After few minutes of the departure from Khanewal station, the train faced derailment near the outer signals. The passengers came out of the derailed coaches,` the official said and added that the incident happened apparently due to the old decaying track.

`Generally, when the wheels are derailed inside the track, it is consideredthat the track has completed its life. And if the wheels are derailed outside the rail, it is considered that the problem exists with the wheels or there is any other mechanical issue,` the official, requesting anonymity, explained.

According to him, the officials, who assessed the situation by visiting the site, couldn`t reach a consensus regarding the cause of the derailment. `Some say it`s due to a decaying track while others see it as a mechanical issue. The very initial investigation report, called `joint certificate` in railways terms, has not been issued yet,` he claimed.

According to another official, the train escaped a major accident due to slow speed. `The speed was about 20km per hour at the time of derailment,` he said, adding that the trains following AllamaIqbal Express were stopped at the Khanewal station while those coming from downward journey (from Lahore to Karachi via Sahiwal and Khanewal) were stoppedat Dera Taj Station, annoying passengers in hot weather conditions. He said a relief train carrying a crane was dispatched to the site that finally succeeded in detaching the affected coaches from the train. Side by side, the engineering staff rehabilitated the track, allowing the operational staff to dispatch the train after hours.

It may be recalled that a couple of days ago, Karachi-bound Allama Iqbal Express train (10-down) also met with an accident near Kotri Railway Station when its last coach separated from the train and derailed. On March 22, Lahorebound Mianwali Express escaped a major accident after the buffer of one of the passenger coaches broke on the way, leaving the railway officials with no option but to stop the train to fix the issue on the way. Similarly on Feb 22, a Karachi-bound freight train derailed after it was diverted to the dead-end at the Gamber Railway Station near Okara Cantonment to `avoid a major disaster`.

One of the two locomotives hauling the train and four container-laden wagonsoverturned on the Up-track after hitting the dead-end. Likewise, the rail traffic on the Up-track faced disruption on Feb 20 after a goods train derailed near the Kot Radha Kishan Railway Station.

Moreover, on Jan 31, three passenger coaches of Shalimar Express derailed at Shahdara bridge, 5-6km away from Lahore Railway Station. The accident caused massive damage to the derailed coachesandthetrack.

On the other hand, Minister for Railways Hanif Abbasi on Monday sought reduction in the travel duration from Peshawar to Karachi, directing the officers concerned to minimise engineering restrictions regarding the speed limit at various stretches of the existing mainline-1.

`I want to see end to all engineering restrictions within one year on the track that cause reduction in the train speed, thus enhancing the travel time on the mainline-1,` Mr Abbasi said while presiding over a meeting here at the railways headquarters.

-Khalid Hasnain