Pakistan Railways’ Engineering Branch has declared mandatory pre-departure fitness certification of trains and imposed a strict ban on the use of "dummy trainers" to ensure passenger safety and prevent accidents. According to the directive, the authorities will no longer allow buses with brake systems that are not 100 percent functional to be attached to trains. A formal order has been issued enforcing the decision and emphasizing strict compliance. Under the new rules, no passenger train will run without a valid fitness certificate confirming that all systems – especially brakes – are fully functional. The authorities have issued clear instructions that trains must not run unless these conditions are met. The official letter further states that no dummy car or any car with defective braking can be included in any train moving through or departing from Rawalpindi Division. Divisional Mechanical Engineers (DME) have been asked to inspect each and every bus and coach to ensure that the braking performance is up to 100 per cent standard. Any wagon, engine or carriage that does not meet this requirement must be immediately separated from the train. A certificate of fitness is only issued after full verification of the performance of the braking system. The directive warns that any violation of these instructions will be considered a serious threat to passenger safety and will result in severe disciplinary action. Authorities issued the directive after three trains derailed in a week, raising questions about safety protocols. On Friday, the Karachi-to-Islamabad Green Line Express derailed near Wazirabad while leaving the station. Initial results indicated that the derailment was caused by broken buses. A day earlier, the Karachi-to-Lahore 41-Up Karakoram Express met with an accident near Khanewal Junction when the train split into two sections. As the train entered the loop line at Khanewal Junction, the coupling connecting its coaches suddenly snapped, separating the moving train into two sections.
Derailment: PR takes preventive steps
