LAHORE: In a major accident, almost all coaches of the Rawalpindi-bound Islamabad Express derailed between the Kala Shah Kaku and Muridke section, leaving several passengers injured besides causing massive damage to the rolling stock and a large portion of the track on Friday evening.

The derailment was horrible, as 12 coaches of the train derailed. Of them, seven overturned. Video clips showed passengers crying for help as one of the crew members informing his seniors about the incident.

“The 107-Up (Islamabad Express) has faced a derailment. The entire train has overturned, including the power van. Me and Tayyab Qureshi have escaped narrowly,” he said.

Other videos showed a large portion of the track broken into pieces.

27 passengers injured, two critical

“In total 25 passengers received minor injuries while two others appeared to be seriously wounded. Passengers with minor injuries were relieved after first aid by the Rescue 1122 teams while the critically wounded were sent to hospital,” said a senior official while talking to Dawn from the accident site during the relief and rescue operation.

“Five coaches derailed while seven overturned,” the official said.

He said relief trains were dispatched from Lahore, 25km away from the accident site.

“I think the clearance of the track will take at least 10 to 12 hours if the operation goes on smoothly.”

After the accident, the entire upcountry rail traffic (Up/down) was suspended, leaving several passengers stranded at various stations. However, the PR authorities later adopted an alternate route for Rawalpindi via branch line originating from Shahdara to reach the final destinations via Wazirabad.

“We used the aforementioned alternate route to keep our operations going without any issue,” said PR Chief Executive Officer Amir Ali Baloch while talking to this reporter from the accident site.

To a question, he said fortunately there was no causality, as some of the passengers received minor injuries. He said five coaches faced derailment.

PR Deputy Divisional Superintendent Operations Fatima Bilal confirmed derailment of five coaches and overturning of 12 coaches. She appreciated the help rendered by the local administration for rescue and relief operations.

On the other hand, Railways Minister Hanif Abbasi ordered a probe in a bid to know the reasons behind such a horrible derailment.

“Anyone found guilty will not only face a disciplinary action but will face jail as well,” the minister warned while talking to Dawn.

He said most passengers, including those injured, were sent to their destinations through buses arranged by the department. He said the inquiry report would be submitted to the ministry within seven days.

The Islamabad Express derailment is the second of its kind wherein all coaches either derailed or overturned reportedly due to decaying tracks and some other reasons. On May 21, the Lahore-bound 27-Up Shalimar Express derailed completely after colliding with a brick-laden tractor-trolley at an unmanned level crossing on the Faisalabad-Lahore rail section.

A sub-committee of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Railways in its meeting on May 21 had also termed the Shalimar Express accident “a first of its kind in the history of Pakistan wherein all coaches, brake van and locomotive (total 17) derailed.

Published in Dawn, August 2nd, 2025