‘Overspeeding caused Gujranwala train accident’

ISLAMABAD: An inquiry report has blamed overspeeding for the train accident that had killed nearly 20 people, mostly soldiers, near Gujranwala earlier this month.
“Running of the train at an excessive speed more than double the permissible speed of 30 km/h for Group-1 locomotives which facilitated an increase of lateral and vertical oscillations to become violent with the result that wheels of the rear truck of the locomotive derailed inside and outside on curved track resulting in such a catastrophe, aggravated due to late application of emergency brakes,” the report said. The report of a joint committee was released on Friday.
A joint enquiry committee was formed to determine the causes of the tragic train accident that took place on July 2, 2015.
The committee besides determining the cause of the accident has also fixed the responsibility of various railway officials, including the driver of the train. The report has been released by Aftab Akbar, spokesman, Ministry of Railways, Islamabad, on Friday.
The report has been prepared by a joint inquiry committee comprising senior officers of the Ministry of Railways and Pakistan Army on the basis of evidence, statements of witnesses, scrutiny of the relevant record, observations during the site inspection and discussions. The joint inquiry committee considered all the possible causes of derailment viz bridge, track, locomotives and sabotage, which were ruled out or found inconclusive.
The joint enquiry committee has fixed the direct responsibility of the accident on Riaz Ahmad, s/o Muhammad Iqbal, driver S-318 Down of locoshed, Faisalabad, Muhammad Fayyad, s/o Muhammad Sharif, assistant driver of S-318 Down of locoshed, Faisalabad, Shahid Mehmood, s/o Muhammad Sadiq, pointsman (Guard of S-318), Faisalabad.
Indirect responsibility has been fixed on Muhammad Ehsanul Haq, s/o Muhammad Ali, Station Superintendent, Faisalabad, Muhammad Hanif, s/o Wali Muhammad, loco foreman, Faisalabad, Zahid Saeed, s/o Muhammad Saeed Khan, Chief Controller, Control Office, Lahore, Syed Zafar Siddique Akhtar, s/o Syed Ali Akhtar, Dy Chief Controller, Lahore, Allah Rakha, s/o Din Muhammad, Dy Chief Controller, Lahore, and Muhammad Awais Akhtar, s/o Chaudhry Abdul Hameed, Section Controller, Lahore.
The joint inquiry committee has recommended that appropriate action under the E&D rules be taken against all those who have been found responsible.