March Train Crashes Probe Finalized: 9 Held Responsible; Track Faults, Unmanned Crossings Main Causes

ISLAMABAD, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 21st Jul, 2026) Pakistan Railways has finalized the inquiry reports into two major train accidents that occurred in March 2026, presenting the findings before the National Assembly Standing Committee on Railways. The report attributes the mishaps to a combination of human error and technical failures, leading to immediate departmental action against nine employees.

According to the data, a total of 135 train accidents were recorded across the country over a one-year period, with defective tracks remaining the leading cause behind 34 incidents, while 35% of the total mishaps occurred at unmanned railway crossings.

The probe revealed that the collision between the Shalimar Express and a freight train at Mehrabpur was caused by gross driver negligence. The driver overshot a stop signal and failed to control the brakes in time, ramming into a stationary cargo train on the loop line, which resulted in the death of one railway employee and derailed several coaches. Railway authorities have held driver Fayyaz Muhammad, assistant driver Asif Saeed, senior train examiners Asif Hussain and Valiullah Khan, and head train examiner Imran Nisar directly responsible, while Station Master Asadullah was found indirectly negligent.

Meanwhile, the second major accident involving the Tezgam Express on the Lodhran-Bahawalpur section resulted from negligent technical monitoring, where a fault in the dining car's front trolley caused eight coaches to derail, injuring multiple passengers. For lapses in fitness inspection, disciplinary action has been launched against TXR Saqib Ghafoor and TXR Minhas Anwar for direct negligence, and Head TXR Imran Sharif for indirect oversight.

According to Chairman Pakistan Railways Mazhar Ali Shah, around 35,000 to 38,000 trains operate annually, keeping the overall accident rate at a low 0.02%, and the administration continues to maintain infrastructure using its existing workforce despite limited resources. Elaborating on the annual statistics, he noted that apart from the 34 track defects and 35% unmanned crossing incidents, staff negligence accounted for 32 accidents, rolling stock defects caused 30, and acts of sabotage resulted in 10, while the remaining incidents were triggered by natural disasters and miscellaneous factors. The railway administration assured the committee that emergency measures are being actively implemented to curb these occurrences.