Pakistan Railways declares three-month emergency, plans repairs to 172 locomotives

Pakistan Railways has declared a three-month emergency and plans emergency repairs to 172 locomotives, according to two newspaper reports on the decision, as the state-owned operator moves to address a rise in train accidents.

The Express Tribune reported that the railway declared the three-month emergency amid rising train accidents. It gave no figure for accidents, casualties or disruptions.

The Nation reported that the operator plans emergency repairs covering 172 locomotives. It did not say how many of those engines are currently out of service, how many are in running condition, or what the repairs will cost.

Neither report, as published, named the official who issued the order, the date it took effect, the railway divisions or routes where the work will be carried out, or whether repairs have begun. No notification or statement from the Ministry of Railways accompanied them, and Skardu Times could not independently confirm the terms of either the emergency declaration or the repair plan.

Read together, the two reports describe a response in two parts: an emergency declaration covering three months, and a repair programme extending to 172 locomotives. The Express Tribune's headline places the emphasis on the emergency and the accidents that prompted it; The Nation's places it on the repair plan.

Pakistan Railways is the federally owned operator of the country's passenger and freight network, running services from Karachi through Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to Peshawar and into Balochistan. How many locomotives are available determines how many trains can be run and whether timetables are held, so a repair programme on this scale has a direct bearing on passengers.

Because the operating details were not published, the practical effect (whether trains will be cancelled, schedules cut, freight movement curtailed or fares changed) could not be established.

A rise in accidents on the network would put pressure on an operator that carries millions of passengers a year and whose ageing fleet and track have long been a subject of official review. What the three-month period covers, and what happens at the end of it, remains unclear from the two reports.

This story will be updated as notifications and official statements become available.