- Ribbon-cutting mania runs wild
The accident to a goods train on Tuesday caused disruption all along the main line, lasting into Thursday, causing multi-hour delays for passenger trains. The derailment of the goods train had occurred near Rahim Yar Khan Station, and led to passengers on trains both too and from Karachi being stuck until the site of the accident was repaired and the line reopened for traffic. There were long dealys in the arrival of trains both up and down the line, at such major stations as Peshawar, Lahore, Karachi and Quetta. One result was that passengers were made to suffer. Hunger might be tolerable, but the thirst was terrible. This was especially the case as the weather was at that awkward transition between spring and summer.
The reason adduced for this disaster was the mania of railways Minister Sh Rasheed Ahmad for starting new trains. As has been so disastrously learned from this accident, the new trains were started using engines and bogeys kept unused for just such accidents. After this accident, the Railways had no spare bogies or engines because they were all being used on the new trains. There is no attention paid to ensuring either that rolling stock is maintained, or that track is upgraded just on cannibalising safety stock to start new trains. Apart from providing the Railways Minister a photo-op, and the chance to invite the Prime Minister to cut the ribbon, the Minister can cut a dash by claiming to have started new services, while conveniently omitting any mention that this has been done at the cost of safety margins. The only way to increase the number of services, and proportionately increase reserve stock, is to obtain more rolling stock. And that can be done best out of profits from existing services.
It is something of an irony that this sleight of hand by the Railways Minister has been exposed at the time of a war-scare. Railways will be crucial to any movement of troops and heavy equipment, such as tanks and cannon. Such a cavalier neglect of safety standards cannot be tolerated if indeed conflict were to start. It should also be noted that even if civilian services are cancelled in wartime, which can only be done partially, an unusual strain will be placed on the Railways in wartime. Eliminating safety nets now will affect performance then.
