ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Railways Minister Shaikh Rasheed has said that provision of gates at unmanned crossings was responsibility of provincial governments.
He was talking to journalists at a Presser here a day after a train-bus collision claimed 20 lives near Rohri at an unmanned crossing. Maintaining that provision of gates to the unmanned crossings in Sindh was job of the provincial assembly, he appealed CM Murad Ali Shah to release pending funds to the railways department enabling it to regulate such crossings via gates. He further informed that there were three thousand such gates that needed to be manned.
Shaikh Rasheed said that decision about Karachi to Peshawar Main Railway Line (ML-1) would be taken by 10th of May: “All railway crossings from Karachi to Peshawar will be removed and the speed will be limited to 160 km/h. This will come into effect on 10th of May, we have submitted the PC-1 for this. When the ML-1 project is completed, the entire railway track from Karachi to Peshawar will be fenced, thereby eliminating all manned and unmanned railway crossings,” Minister stated.
Relevant pieces published earlier:
20 killed as train rams into bus in Sukkur
29th of February, 2020
SUKKUR: A passenger train rammed into a bus near Rohri railway station tonight claiming 20 lives.
According to details the 45 Up Pakistan Express was moving from Karachi to Rawalpindi when it collided with a passenger bus en route Punjab carrying 20 passengers at an unmanned crossing.
The unfortunate bus – split into three parts – was dragged for 200 feet before the train could come to a standstill. While the train’s engine was damaged due to collision, fortunately passengers onboard remained safe.
It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan Railways happens to have 2,470 unmanned crossings. Though the ministry repeatedly pointed out that such crossings should be manned, the federal government did not a pay a heed.
Sources insinuated that the death toll would rise as many of the wounded being treated at Rohri and Sukkur hospitals are severely injured.
Six students killed as train hits rickshaw in Lodhran
6th of January, 2017
LAHORE (JAN 06, 2017): Six students were killed and four others injured when a speedy train hit a motorcycle rickshaw at Lodhran railway crossing today, said police.
According to DPO Lodhran Asad Sarfraz Khan, the accident was caused by dereliction of duty as the Railway Crossing was open at the time of tragedy.
The injured were shifted to District Headquarters Hospital Lodhran for immediate treatment, he added.
Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif and Governor Punjab Malik Muhammad Rafique Rajwana expressed profound grief and sorrow over the accident at Lodhran Railway crossing.
In a statement, they condoled with the bereaved families and prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured.
CM Punjab directed concerned authorities to provide best medical facilities to the injured.
In November last year, one person was killed and 30 students injured when an International Islamic University bus collided with a motorcycle before it crashed into an electricity pole near Islamabad’s G-11 area.
Newspakistan.tv | YouTube Channel
