Pakistan Railway (PR) has suffered a loss of Rs 1 billion with about 80 km of railway track washed away, several major bridges collapsed across the country, and closure of 17 railway stations due to the devastating floods. In an exclusive talk with Business Recorder, General Manager (GM) Pakistan Railway, Ashfaq Khattak said that the severity of the floods has caused enormous damage to the railway infrastructure across the country.
Some major bridges have collapsed while rail links with several main cities of the country have been totally cut off. According to an initial estimate, railway is facing a loss of Rs 350 million in Multan and Kot Adu section in Southern Punjab as 25 breaches were reported on railway lines due to heavy floods.
Similarly 8 railway stations have been closed down on Multan section, said Khattak, adding that the rail link between Multan and Rawalpindi via Kot Addu has been suspended due to floodwater. Khattak further said that a loss of Rs 200 million has been estimated in the Khyber Pukhtoonkhwa province, as railway lines, major bridges and railway station buildings were badly damaged by floodwater. Similarly 7 railway stations have been closed in the province.
The GM railway said the Ministry has started reconstruction of bridges and railway tracks in Khyber Pukhtoonkhwa using local resources. He further said that train service from Balochistan to other parts of the country resumed on Tuesday after repair of railway lines, which had remained suspended for several days due to the damage to the railway track at five points in Bakhtiarabad area of Sibi district.
He said that one flood relief train has started regular operation between Multan and Mehmood Kot. This train departs from Multan after every two hours for Mehmood Kot. According to railways sources the floodwater of Indus River has damaged 50 KM of rail track from Mehmood Kot to Daira Din Penah. All five railway stations in flood affected areas including Taunsa Barrage, Daira Din Penah, Kot Addu, Sanawa and Gurmani stations are closed.
The railway signals and communication system is not functional due to power breakdown. Railway sources said that three passenger trains including Thal Express and Mehr Express running between Multan and Rawalpindi and Mari Indus running between Multan and Mari are not operating. Passenger trains coming from Rawalpindi were operating till Sultan Kot. The Taunsa Barrage, Daira Din Penah, Kot Addu, Sanawa and Gurmani railway stations buildings were badly damaged by floodwater.