Clearly train accidents have become far too common, with 20 more people getting killed on Friday after a Karachi-Lahore express train rammed into a coaster carrying Sikh pilgrims near Sheikhupura, killing 20 at the spot which included women and children. Since the accident took place at an unmanned level crossing it is going to be considered the fault of the driver of the vehicle, as is very often the case, for trying to get across in a hurry. But since this is also one of many such accidents, it raises a number of questions. And a very important one that always goes unanswered is just why are these crossings still unmanned considering the high number of incidents that regularly take place there? Also, as usual, the government is going to make sure that Pakistan Railways’ “operational safety SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) will be reviewed immediately,” said the prime minister himself. But how many times have we heard and seen all this before? There is a lot of activity after an accident takes place, promises are made and orders are given, yet nothing happens till the next tragedy, when the same cycle plays out again. This government promised to do some of these things differently. Yet so far there has been nothing to differentiate it from others, especially in the way large loss making government departments are run. Some statistics are truly shocking. Last year, for example, over 100 train related incidents, including fatal accidents, were reported, in addition to 111 reports of engine failure in the first five months alone. And even though the same promises were made each time, nothing has so far been done to make sure that such accidents are not so commonplace anymore. Also, PTI (Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf) has only itself to blame for all the calls that it is receiving for the railways minister, a very important ally, to step down. Wasn’t it the ruling party that said so loudly, in its 20-plus years in the opposition, that railways ministers must always resign whenever there is an accident anywhere in the country, for whatever reason? Didn’t they also say, especially Prime Minister Imran Khan, that such show of responsibility is actually what sets sincere leaders apart from corrupt ones? Yet here we stand, with accident after accident and no resignations yet; not even much coming from all the tall promises of reforms, etc. *