https://arab.news/9zcqp
- Three-day inquiry begins next week, with officials promising transparency
- Pakistan aims to modernize aging railway network through track overhaul
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will conduct an inquiry into the derailment of the Islamabad Express in the coming week, an official statement said on Saturday, after three cars of the passenger train went off the tracks a day earlier near the eastern city of Lahore, injuring at least 27 people.
The derailment took place in the town of Kala Shah Kaku as the train was en route to Lahore. While no fatalities were reported, women and children were among the injured, all of whom were later listed in stable condition, according to railways officials.
“Federal Government Inspector of Railways, Mr. Aamir Nisar Chaudhry, will conduct an inquiry into the derailment of the ... Islamabad Express that occurred on the evening of August 1, 2025,” said a statement issued by the Railways Headquarters in Lahore. “The inquiry will take place from August 4 to August 6, 2025.”
It said the inspector will be available to meet anyone with relevant information during the inquiry period.
The statement also invited individuals to submit written reports by post to the official conducting the inquiry, assuring the identity of informants would be kept confidential.
It said all possible factors contributing to the incident will be examined, and the investigation will be conducted transparently and without external influence.
The final report is expected to be submitted to the Ministry of Railways within seven days.
Pakistan Railways has been attempting to modernize its aging network with new trains and an overhaul of the 1,687-kilometer Karachi-Peshawar Main Line (ML-1), aimed at doubling tracks, upgrading signals and raising train speeds to 140 km/h.
Train accidents are relatively common in Pakistan, where the railway system has suffered from decades of underinvestment, outdated tracks, and aging signal infrastructure.
In 2023, at least 30 people were killed when a passenger train derailed in the southern city of Nawabshah in Sindh province.
With input from AP