Not again
The train collusion near Karachi’s Landi Railway Station has resulted in 20 dead with 60 injured. Human error is to blame for the incident as both drivers of the oncoming train which hit a stationary train ignored signals to stop. The drivers who are on the run will eventually be caught and prosecuted for criminal negligence but what of the top management led by Railways minister Khwaja Saad Rafique and his party that vowed to turn around the fledgling state owned enterprise without the need to privatise it?
An action plan has been in place since 2013 to revamp Pakistan Railways but very little seems to have been achieved. As evidenced by the accident today the faulty signal system that still relies more on human awareness than technology has not been updated as promised. In August, under CPEC, an additional $8 billion has been approved to upgrade and modernise main railway lines by 2020 which means we are still stuck with the same lines that the government failed to upgrade and now under CPEC an additional four years are required. Considering two more train accidents this year – the Multan collusion in September and the collapse of a railway bridge in July – safety has not improved the slightest.
The status of the financial health of the institution is no different. In fiscal year 2015-16, Pakistan Railways made a staggering loss of Rs 28 Billion and increase of 12.64% over last year. An annual conference held to announce results was not even held this year. While the revenue side has shown marked improvement (17% increase over last year) the expenses have grown tremendously (25% increase over last year) resulting in a net loss.
Pakistan Railways is a strategic institution where passenger commute is just one aspect. It is used for transfer of goods and services both imported and domestically produced. It is also essential for logistics of our army. The government needs to take a long hard look at the situation at hand and reassess their plan given that they really want this important institution to improve and survive.