I use to travel a lot via train since my childhood. We use to love the experience of a long journey from Karachi to Sahiwal but now days it has become a nightmare to travel by train. The common problems are late departure and arrival of trains, without booking traveling and poor services for the passengers. A long queue awaits you when you are in search of tickets. They charge fare according to the current rate but the given tickets have the old price. The dining car facility is almost vanished and if available the quality of food is unsatisfactory and prices are high. I am unable to understand why this important department is unable to solve these problems over a period of time? They had allotted shops on platforms for which they charge hefty rents but still no facilities for passengers who generate revenue for railway.
Train accidents are very common in Pakistan. The recent incident happened near Hyderabad when three bogies of the Lahore-bound Shalimar Express derailed on Sunday. On the spot, Minister of State for Railways Muhammad Jadam Mangrio advised the passengers to recite Durood Sharif while traveling by trains to ensure their safety because railway track is outdated, while trains and railway lines are also in appalling state.
Dr AQ Khan wrote in the News few weeks ago that when Mongols were attacking Baghdad, Caliph ordered to recite Ayat-e-Karima one hundred thousand times in all mosques of Baghdad.
AQ Khan says that while people of Baghdad were busy reciting, Mongols destroyed whole Islamic state and killed hundreds of thousands of people and desecrated mosques where they were busy reciting.
The minister said that he would continue to inform the nation about the corruption in Pakistan Railways. But he forget to tell us that what about the duties assigned to him as railway minister if the passengers safety is on a high risk? I haven’t seen any improvement in trains regarding facilities except that the rising fares every now and than.
Pakistan Railway needs to have drastic changes,
- First of all the ticket system needs to be computerized and fool proof. Although it has been functioning but needs improvement because the provided computerized ticket paper has lightly written alphabets and some times they allot single seat to more than one person.
- The railway tracks should be repaired or replaced, whatever the need is. The signal system should be connected with computers like Mumbai local trains have sensor mechanism in tracks which prevents accidents.
- The railway guards should not be allowed to give seats within the train because they are making black money and incurring huge loss for railways./li>
- ining car facility should be started again and authorities must ensure that the supplied food and drinks are hygienic.
- Railway fares should be revised.
Just for refreshing memories, the same Railway minister visited Sukkur railway station last month and said that Pakistan Railways is implementing a comprehensive track rehabilitation program to improve safety of passengers and further added that he is satisfied to an extent from the department and minor problems will be sorted out soon and few days ahead this incident of Shalimar express happens.
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