By Staff Reporter
LODHRAN/BAHAWALPUR – A passenger was killed and at least 33 others sustained injuries on Sunday morning when the Karachi-bound Awam Express derailed near Lodhran, reportedly due to brake failure and overspeeding.
According to railway officials, the accident occurred as the train, which had departed Lahore on Saturday evening, approached Line No-5 near Lodhran. Despite receiving signals to halt, the driver allegedly failed to apply brakes in time, causing the train to overshoot and crash into a sand-hump. The impact forced the locomotive, four passenger coaches, and a luggage van off the tracks, with some carriages overturning.
Passengers trapped inside the derailed compartments recounted scenes of panic and confusion. “There were cries everywhere, people were trying to break free,” said one survivor, who managed to climb out with minor injuries. Rescue 1122 teams arrived shortly after and shifted the injured to the District Headquarters Hospital in Lodhran, where one victim, identified as 37-year-old Waqas from Khushab, succumbed to his injuries.
Railway authorities confirmed that a relief train was dispatched from Multan to clear the wreckage, a process that took nearly 10 hours. Several trains, including the 6-Down and 48-Down, were delayed for hours as traffic on the busy Main Line-1 was disrupted.
The initial inquiry has blamed the driver for negligence, stating that timely braking could have averted the disaster. However, a senior railway official, speaking on condition of anonymity, suggested that faulty coaches may have played a critical role. “On paper, the train had only one dummy coach without brakes, but practically there were five or six faulty carriages. These deficiencies make it nearly impossible for drivers to stop on time,” the official claimed.
Federal Railways Minister Hanif Abbasi, who convened an emergency meeting following the incident, expressed anger at officials for failing to ensure passenger safety. He ordered a comprehensive investigation and directed that all defective or ‘dummy’ coaches be grounded immediately, even if it meant suspending certain train operations. “Officials must leave their air-conditioned offices and personally inspect the tracks and rolling stock,” the minister said.
Rescue officials confirmed that 22 of the injured, including six women, were admitted to hospital for treatment, while 11 others received first aid at the site. Railway officials later announced that Awam Express passengers were transferred to Hazara Express to continue their journey to Karachi.
The incident has once again highlighted Pakistan Railways’ longstanding struggle with outdated rolling stock and poor safety standards, raising fresh questions about accountability and systemic neglect within the department.
