Flawed railway system of Pakistan

Flawed railway system of Pakistan

Chopped arms and legs, clothes soaked in blood and weeping women and men carried away by stretchers to shift them in their respective hospitals. Deadly train accidents occurred at Sarhari railway station near Nawabshah on 6 August, Saturday around 1:30 pm.

The Hazara Express left Karachi being destined to reach Rawalpindi but it met its fate as many of its bogies derailed near Nawabshah. In this horrific tragedy, 30 people bite the dust leaving 70 plus injured. The day before this accident Allama Iqbal Express, fortunately, escaped the same incident as two of its bogies derailed, and no casualties occurred. These are just the tip of the iceberg as many deadly incidents occurred in the history of Pakistan Railway. From inception till now, no serious implications have been shown for this sector which as a result has become outdated.

Additionally, it is stated in Dawn that during the last two decades, 30 plus major incidents occurred which caused hundreds of people to expire leaving thousands injured. In another incident that occurred in June 2021 near Daharki, Sindh 66 casualties were reported while 150 were injured. According to the report 80 million people travel by train each year in Pakistan, one can see the amount of risk being posed to lives by keeping such incidents in mind. Historically passengers’ lives remained at stake due to the negligence shown towards the railway sector.

After winning the War of Independence in 1857, the Britishers established a railway system to further expand their resource extraction process from the subcontinent. Firstly railway system was established between Karachi and Kotri in 1861. After the inception of Pakistan on 14 August 1947 railway system was inherited by both countries. Due to multifaceted issues faced by the newly made country, little attention was paid to the advancement and modernization of the railway system.

Likewise, countries like Japan, Hong Kong, Switzerland, Singapore, Netherlands,s and China have some of the world’s most advanced railway systems. India alone has the 4th largest, after the US, Russia, and China, railway systems in the world. India has successfully transformed to electric trains omitting environmental hazards. But Pakistan due to many reasons is lagging.

Let us discuss a few reasons why the Pakistan railway system is a complete failure:
From the very inception of Pakistan little attention was paid to this sector as a result, the budget attributed each year to the railway was insufficient to embark on the way of modernization. Only a few railway stations that were initially built by Britishers were available, so connectivity remained a major problem. Outdated technology and the signaling system have hampered its proper functioning.

The lack of incentives for labor has made the sector’s condition deplorable. Each government comes up with new policies as a remedy to the sector ignoring the policies of the previous government so political instability is also a major headache. Instead of outlining solutions to the problems being faced by the sector, each government is halting its growth.

Hence Pakistan Railway requires urgent solutions to embark on the way of a modern, environment-friendly institution. There is no rocket science if one asks what could be the remedies to the problems faced by the sector. Answers would just follow the countries like Japan, China, and India. Do things that these countries are doing to keep their railway system at the top of the order.

Attribute the required budget to root out the losses being faced by the sector and to pave the way for advancement. Invest more in its infrastructure, build new routes connecting populous cities, introduce technological innovations, and hire professional employees to root out corruption and nepotism. Make policies that are holistic and inclusive which will result in better commuting channels.

Overall it is the need of the hour to root out causes that are hindering the railway system of Pakistan. Governments need to design policies inclusively to avert the loss of human lives. Astonishing numbers of casualties occurred each year as a result of the flawed railway system. Political elites busy with palace intrigue and power game need to address the issue with strong commitment. Pakistan needs to take countries like Japan, China, and the US as a benchmark to advance its railway system. All in all accidents like yesterday will continue, until and unless multifaceted approaches are implemented otherwise institutional malfunctioning will be the result.