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       Dawn

       NAROWAL:A coach of the 211-Up passenger train derailed on its way to Narowal from Lahore near Kalakhatai Railway Station on Monday.

       Pakistan Railway sources say that all the passengers remained safe as the speed of the train was slow when the incident occurred, while a portion of the track was damaged.

       This is the third such incident occurring recently on the Shahdara-Narowal-Sialkot section due to the poor condition of the railway track as Sialkot Express derailed on June 27 and Lasani Express derailed on July 5.

       The sources say that the train left Lahore station at 7:15am for Narowal and its coach No. 4 suddenly derailed near Kalakhatai station.

       The officials say that the derailment disrupted rail traffic on the Shahdara-Narowal-Sialkot section as the Lasani Express, going from Sialkot to Lahore and the Allama Iqbal Express, going to Karachi, were stopped at Narang Mandi Railway Station.

       They say that the railway mechanical and engineering teams reached the spot after being informed about the accident and restored the track after four hours.

       Hafiz Abdul Qayyum, who travels daily on the 211-Up train, told Dawn that the railway track on the section has become worn out over the years, causing frequent derailments.

       He regretted that, despite earning profits, the railway authorities were not paying attention to the poor condition of the track. Due to the lack of repairs, nuts, bolts and other parts of the track often go missing or get stolen, making it dangerous for passengers.

       Following the incident, passengers protested the increasing number of train accidents and demanded that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the railway minister should take immediate notice of the situation and order remedial measures.

       Published in Dawn, July 22nd, 2025