Four wagons of Karachi-Sahiwal freight train derail in Lodhran, railway services disrupted

Railway traffic in Punjab's Lodhran district was disrupted after a freight train carrying coal suffered a derailment near Ruknpur leaving four wagons off the tracks and affecting train movements along the Lodhran-Khanewal route.

Railway traffic in Punjab’s Lodhran district was disrupted after a freight train carrying coal suffered a derailment near Ruknpur leaving four wagons off the tracks and affecting train movements along the Lodhran-Khanewal route.

The incident involved a coal train travelling from Karachi to the Yousufwala area of Sahiwal. The accident took place last night when four compartments of the freight train came off the railway line, forcing authorities to suspend movement along the affected section.

The disruption continued for several hours with the main up-line still unavailable seven hours after the incident. The delay in restoring the railway connection also affected passenger services operating through the area.

Railway officials dispatched recovery trains to the accident location to deal with the situation and begin restoration work. A spokesperson for Pakistan Railways confirmed that the specialised trains had arrived and that technical teams were working to clear the affected section.

The derailment created difficulties for passengers travelling on some of the country’s major railway services. Tezgam and Allama Iqbal Express were among the trains affected by the interruption with both services experiencing delays because of the blocked route.

The incident has also highlighted the impact that accidents involving freight trains can have on passenger transportation particularly when they occur on busy railway corridors used by multiple services.

With four wagons requiring removal and the railway line needing restoration, railway teams continued their efforts to reopen the affected section. However officials had not provided a confirmed timeline for the complete resumption of normal operations.

Passengers travelling through Lodhran and Khanewal were consequently facing uncertainty over their journey schedules as recovery operations continued.