At least six people including a woman and a child were killed on Sunday when a passenger train rammed into a car at unmanned railways crossing near Gojra.
Later, addressing a press conference regarding the train accident at PR Headquarters here, Pakistan Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique claimed that the Railways was not responsible for this incident. However, he offered to resign if issues could be resolved.
The Railways minister also sought the report of the accident within 48 hours. The unfortunate incident happened when a car came at railway track and Shalimar Express was passing through unmanned crossing at Chak Number 93-JB near Gojra. According to reports, six members of a family including woman and a child were going back to Silanwala in a car, when the driver of the car attempted to cross the crossing number 65 situated at Faislabad-Shorkot section. Dawakhari Police Post In-Charge Chaudhary Abdul Ghafoor said the victims were identified as Dr Iqbal, Mansab Dar, Shazia Bibi, Faizan, Falak Sher and car-driver Muhammad
Afzal as they belonged to Sillanwali, Sargodha.
Rescue teams reached the spot but all the people in car had died. After the accident, the locals staged protest on unmanned railways crossing against the authorities.
PR Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique said that like other unmanned level crossings, railway also had installed warning boards, leveled the road and constructed a speed breaker before the tracks, which was responsibility of the PR.
“Unfortunately the car diver could not judge the speed of the train or ignored the warning signs which caused such a sad incident” Saad informed, adding that train was running at the speed of 105 KM per hour when it rammed into the car.
The minister said there were some 1,150 unmanned level crossings in Punjab, 133 in Kyber Pakhtunkhwa, 504 in Sindh and 86 in Balochistan. He added Rs 25 billion were required to convert these unmanned level crossings into manned level crossing.
The provincial governments had been contacted many times so that they could extend their cooperation and play their due role in this regard, he said. Saad added the Punjab government had given Rs 610 million for converting unmanned level crossings into manned ones and 75 most vulnerable unmanned level crossings had been converted into manned ones in Punjab whereas railways had also converted five unmanned level crossings into manned ones.
The minister said more 75 level crossings would be converted into manned ones in one year. He said Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah had given Rs 100 million with which 17 unmanned level crossings would be converted into manned ones. The minister said existing standard operating procedures were being followed adding that so far no mistake of system was found.
The minister said decision had been made to implement walky talky wireless system which would help in developing communication between level crossing gatekeeper and driver besides other staff concerned. The efforts were being made to install Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking system in locomotives which would provide information to the driver about things coming ahead, he added.
He said reflectors would be ensured on all the boards near level crossings. The minister said intensity of medical tests of drivers and assistant drivers had been increased and now tests would be carried out after every six months and now medical tests of level crossings gatekeepers would also be conducted.
The minister said sincere efforts were being made to deal with all problems to enhance the maximum performance of the railways.
He demanded all the provincial governments to cooperate with PR for the safety of their citizens. Saad further informed that PR was working on the project to construct the bridges and flyovers at all the dangerous level crossings on Build Operate & Transfer (BOT) basis with the help of private sector. He also said that to install VHF system in trains a PC-1 has been approved worth Rs 73 million.
