Railways Faces Rs 410 Mln Losses In Train Accidents

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 29th Mar, 2020 ) :Pakistan Railways faced around Rs 410 million losses in train accidents on the entire railway network from August, 2018 to December, 2019.

According to details, the damages occurred in signal was Rs 35,000, rolling stock Rs 85,071,837 locomotive Rs 310,649,663, P. Way Rs 7,523,934 and electrical Rs 7,100,380, an official in the Ministry of Railways told APP.

About the casualties and injured persons, he said that five major train accidents of passenger and good trains occurred from August 2018 to December 2019 in which 110 persons died and 123 others injured.

Pakistan Railways was going to revamp and upgrade the existing railway infrastructure through Main Line-I project of China-Pak Economic Corridor (CPEC) which would transform the overall organization and ensure safety of the travelling public, he added.

Besides, he said the department was taking several measures to prevent accidents in future including up-gradation of 550 vulnerable unmanned level crossings throughout Pakistan Railways network in collaboration with the respective provincial governments.

He said the Directorate of Public Relations had circulated different video messages over social media for the awareness and information of general public regarding crossing the railway crossings in a safe way.

The official said the conversion of old age kerosene oil based signals with LED's on main line, which have better visibility. Training and refresher courses were being conducted regularly at the Pakistan Railway academy Lahore, he added.

He said that regular inspections in accordance with prescribed standards and quota were conducted by the officers and officials of Pakistan Railways to maintain safety standards. This process was being constantly monitored at appropriate levels. he added.

Special bulletins and instructions were issued regularly for guidance of staff.� Cameras were being installed inside locomotives for inspections of officers and staff, he said.

The official said that around 2,000 fire extinguishers were under process of procurements and they would be installed in trains by end of March, this year to ensure safety of passengers.

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