LAHORE: A rail car travelling from Lahore to Rawalpindi met with an accident immediately after departing from Lahore Railway Station.
According to sources, four bogies of the train derailed near Aik Moria Pul.
Sources said the rail car derailed as soon as it left Lahore Railway Station, leaving passengers facing severe difficulties. Following the accident, passengers remained inside the derailed bogies in intense heat.
Railway authorities are carrying out relief and restoration measures following the incident, while further information is awaited to determine the causes of the accident.
The location of the derailment is significant to the operational impact. Aik Moria Pul lies close to Lahore Railway Station on the main line running north toward Rawalpindi and Peshawar, meaning a derailment at that point sits on one of the most heavily used sections of track in the network. Obstruction near the station throat affects not only the train involved but the movement of services scheduled to depart and arrive behind it.
Restoration in such cases follows a standard sequence. The site is first secured and passengers evacuated, after which the affected coaches are rerailed using hydraulic equipment or a breakdown crane brought from the nearest depot. Track and formation are then inspected and repaired before normal running is resumed. The duration depends principally on how many vehicles have left the rails and whether the track structure itself has been damaged.
Derailments at low speed immediately outside a terminal station are commonly associated with the condition of points and crossings, the state of the track formation in yard areas, or defects in vehicle running gear. Station approaches contain a dense concentration of switches, and the geometry of those assemblies makes them the most maintenance-sensitive components in the network. No cause has yet been determined in this instance, and the investigation will establish the facts.
Pakistan Railways maintains an inquiry procedure for accidents, under which a departmental investigation examines the track, rolling stock, signalling and operating aspects of the incident and assigns responsibility. Findings are reported through the divisional and headquarters structure.
The most immediate concern in this case was the condition of passengers left inside stationary coaches during a spell of extreme heat. Rail cars and passenger coaches depend on movement or on functioning power supply for ventilation, and a stalled train in high ambient temperatures becomes uncomfortable and potentially hazardous within a short period, particularly for elderly passengers and young children.
Lahore Railway Station is among the busiest on the network and serves as the principal junction of the Punjab section, handling long-distance services to Karachi, Peshawar, Quetta and Rawalpindi alongside regional trains.
Passengers were assisted following the incident, and railway teams remained at the site. No casualties have been reported.
Services on the affected section were expected to resume following completion of restoration work.
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