Daily Times

Quetta Railway Station turned chaotic as over 1,000 passengers were stranded due to a protest by railway employees.

According to reports, demonstrators blocked tracks, delaying key trains, including the Chaman Passenger, Jafar Express, and Bolan Mail, for up to four hours.

The protest was sparked by the alleged demolition of employee housing boundaries on Zarghoon Road during a road expansion project.

Passengers, already frustrated by limited transport options, expressed their struggles, with one traveller lamenting, “Even trains aren’t reliable now.”

Railway unions accused project officials of unlawful actions and called for judicial intervention. After negotiations, the protest was paused for two days, allowing train services to resume.

On November 15, train services in Quetta were resumed after a four-day suspension caused by a deadly blast at the railway station.

Pakistan Railways (PR) had announced on November 10 that the Quetta railway station would remain closed from November 11 to November 14 for security reasons.

According to the then CEO of Pakistan Railways, Aamir Baloch, train operations from Quetta to other parts of Pakistan were restored after comprehensive security clearance.

The tragic blast, which occurred on November 9, had claimed the lives of at least 26 people and injured over 40 others, including women and children.

Commissioner Quetta, Hamza Shafqaat, had shared details of the incident, revealing that the explosion took place at 8:25 a.m., just as passengers were preparing for departures. The blast occurred during the scheduled departure of the Jaffar Express, which travelled from Quetta to Peshawar. A large number of passengers were present at the station at the time, significantly amplifying the tragedy.

Railway authorities had reported that two trains, the Chaman Passenger and the Jaffar Express, were scheduled to depart from Quetta to Chaman and Peshawar, respectively. Passengers for both trains were on the platform when the blast happened.

In response to the incident, train services were temporarily suspended to ensure safety while security measures were reviewed and strengthened.