Floods bring railways to a standstill in Balochistan

Heavy rains and above-average flooding brought the railways to a halt in Balochistan - one of the provinces of Pakistan worst affected by the current wet spell.

The train service from Balochistan to the other areas of the country has been suspended for ten days now. This is ever since the Naseerabad railway track was washed away and the Harak railway bridge was broken. Also, the train operation from Balochistan to Iran has come to a dead end for a month now.

According to railways authorities, it is not possible for the train service in the province to be restored in the next 15 days.

The railway officials said that the repair of the Quetta-Taftan section of the rail track could not be completed despite the passage of a month. The track was washed away in Chagai on July 29, causing the suspension of the train service to Iran.

Similarly, the rail service from Balochistan to the other areas of the country also faced interruption ten days ago after the Sibi-Jacobabad section of the track was damaged in Naseerabad. After the Harak railway bridge collapsed five days ago, train operations ceased altogether.

DS Railways Quetta Nisar Ahmad Khan said that a team headed by a Chief Engineer Bridge is coming from Lahore on Tuesday. The team of engineers will inspect the Harak Railways Bridge with the NLC people, he said. Once the inspection is complete, they will come to know when the repair work of the bridge will begin, he explained.

The railway official said that it would take at least 3 months to complete the repair of this bridge. While, the repair work of the Naseerabad track may take another 15 days, he added.