Derailing: PR takes steps to stop it

Pakistan Railways’ Engineering Branch has made it obligatory for trains to get a fitness certificate before they leave and has banned the usage of “dummy coaches” to keep passengers safe and avoid accidents.

The order says that officials will no longer let coaches with brake systems that aren’t 100% working be connected to trains. A official order has been given to make sure that the decision is followed and that everyone follows the rules.

No passenger train will run without a valid fitness certificate showing that all systems, especially the brakes, are working properly, according to the new guidelines. Officials have made it clear that trains can’t run unless these requirements are met.

The letter further says that no fake coach or any wagon with broken brakes can be part of any train rake that goes through or leaves the Rawalpindi Division.

Divisional Mechanical Engineers (DME) have been told to check each coach and wagon to make sure that the brakes work at 100 percent.

If any coach, engine, or wagon does not fulfill this condition, it must be taken from the train right away. You will only get a fitness certificate if the brake system’s performance has been fully checked.

The directive says that any infringement of these rules will be seen as a major threat to passenger safety and will lead to harsh punishment. The order came after three trains went off the tracks in one week, which raised doubts about safety rules.

The Green Line Express from Karachi to Islamabad went off the tracks near Wazirabad on Friday while leaving the station. At first, it looked that faulty coach buffers were to blame for the derailment.

The Karachi-to-Lahore 41-Up Karakoram Express had an accident near Khanewal Junction the day before. The train split into two parts.

The coupling that held the train’s carriages together broke as it entered the loop line at Khanewal Junction. This split the moving train into two parts.