Daily Times

Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) leader Khawaja Saad Rafique on Sunday opposed the hike in railway fares and also criticised increasing rail accidents.

According to a private TV channel, Khawaja Saad Rafique alleged that the present government had stopped the development of the Pakistan Railways.

“PML-N had increased railway revenue up to Rs 50 billion while its annual development budget was Rs 40 billion,” said Rafique.

He said that the present government had allocated only Rs 16 billion development budget for railways while its estimated deficit was at Rs 39 billion.

He blamed additional trains for an increasing number of rail accidents. “The Railways minister has compromised rail security. He [Sheikh Rasheed] started the Dhabeji Express only to please the president [Dr Arif Alvi].”

“The fuel reserves of Pakistan Railways was up to 20 days during the PML-N’s era, whereas, it has been reduced to only three days.”

“The present government increased railway fares. It should be kept into mind that Rs 100 billion needed to be allocated in the budget for Pakistan Railways.”

He claimed that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) led government was lying to the nation regarding ML-1 project as it was only a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), but not an agreement.

Trains continued to face delays on Sunday as well due to the Hyderabad train accident earlier in the week.

According to Railway officials, the Karachi Express will depart from Karachi’s Cantonment Station for Lahore at 9:15 pm after a delay of five hours.

The Tezgam Express will depart at 7:30 pm from Karachi Cantonment Station after a delay of two hours.

Similarly, Millat Express and Sukkur Express are also facing delays.

At least three people, a train driver and two assistant drivers, were killed and several others injured after a passenger train collided with a freight train near Hyderabad on Thursday.

Sources said that Lahore bound Jinnah Express, which had departed from Karachi collided with a stationary freight train in the limits of Maki Shah police station in Hyderabad. The cargo train was carrying coal to Yusufwala.

Three coaches of the freight train derailed due to the impact of the collision while the engine of a passenger train caught fire after the incident.

Investigators suspected that it occurred because of negligence on the part of the driver and assistant driver of a passenger train that rammed into a coal-laden goods train near Hyderabad.