ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: As many as 106 persons were killed and 454 suffered injuries in 291 accidents occurred over Railway network of the Country during the period from 2014 to October 2017.
Talking to the state-run news agency in Islamabad on Thursday, sources in the Ministry of Railways said that out of 291 minor and major train accidents across the Country, 40 accidents were occurred in 2014, 104 in 2015, 89 in 2016 and 28 in 2017.
Sources said that around 250 accidents were caused due to negligence of road users while negotiating the manned, unmanned level crossing and unauthorized locations.
The responsibility of the accidents in most cases lie on the road users under section 91/1 of Motor Vehicle Ordinance, 1965, and sections 128 and 129 of Railways Act, they added.
They said that around 115 staffers of Pakistan Railways were penalized for negligence of the accidents and the punishments which were awarded included compulsory retirement from service, removal from service, reduction to lower post, warning and with holding of annual increment.
To avoid accident and security of the passengers, Pakistan Railways has taken several steps, they added.
Sources said that recently, NESCOM proposed safety model to the Ministry of Railways that would help control the train collisions and accidents on level crossings.
Connected with a radio link, the system would be installed in the locomotive and at level crossings simultaneously, which will have warning lights and sirens to alert the people.
Likewise, they said that the locomotive speed system, vision systems, electro-mechanical system, train approaching warning system and train collision avoiding system would be devised to curb accidents in the future.
