ZHENGZHOU UNIVERSITY

SCHOOL OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

PRESENTED BY
NAME:
ABDUSSAMMAD
ROLL NO:
(201980040118)

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 Table of Contents
1.0 Introduction to Pakistan Railways-------------------------------------------------------------03

2.0 Collision-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------03

3.0 Fatalities-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------04

4.0 Post-Accident Response-------------------------------------------------------------------------04

5.0 Financial Losses----------------------------------------------------------------------------------05

6.0 Investigation of the incident--------------------------------------------------------------------05

7.0 General Causes and Preventions---------------------------------------------------------------06

8.0 Future Strategies---------------------------------------------------------------------------------07

9.0 References----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------08

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1.0 Introduction:
The railway system of Pakistan has been beset by issues which had built up through
years of neglect. The signals used in this system were in terrible condition, because several of
its rails were in bad shape. The railway system suffers from regular accidents as a result of
corruption and inefficiency, and low investments from within and out of the country
increases the problem. Despite promises from approximately all the governments of past
none has succeeded in repairing the system. The prime minister vowed to upgrade the
railroads when he assumed office in 2018, but incidents have occurred since then. The
infrastructure has been experiencing minimal consideration, and "deadly train accidents...
appear to have risen in regularity," according to The Express Tribune. Pakistan Railways'
chairman indicated that parts around the accident scene were outdated. According to an
official, several railway parts are still utilizing rails that were installed before the country
gained independence. The train travelled on a daily basis between Karachi, Sindh, and
Alamosa, Punjab.
2.0 Collision:
The Millet Express, which started from the city of Karachi and was traveling to
ghotki district, going for Sargodha in the state of Punjab. The train changed tracks in-
between the Dahrki and Reti railway track ten minutes later, at 03:38, falling off of eight
bogies over the opposing track while the majority of the passengers were asleep. Another
train (Sir Syed Express), which had departed from Rawalpindi heading for Karachi city and
was travelling in the other direction, collided with the derailed train about a minute later.
The driver noticed the derailed train on the tracks, he reported that rail was at usual
speed. He used the emergency protocols but was unable to bring the train to a complete halt
in time. The train was unable to avoid colliding with the derailed train. According to Railway
officials, 703 passengers boarded the Millet Express train while 505 passengers boarded the
Sir Syed Express train. According to Ghotki D.C. Usman Abdullah, the accident caused
fourteen bogies to derail, with six to eight of them being "totally damaged."

(Figure: Train Collapse)

3.0 Fatalities:

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 Around 1208 people were travelling at that time when the two trains collapsed into
one another. The incident resulted in 65 or more fatalities with more than 150 persons injured
at site. These related to all kinds of professions. There were children, women, old people and
families. Some workers of railway department were also killed in the incident. Twenty-five
people were stranded in the wreckage which were never located.

(Figure: Fatalities)
4.0 Post-Accident Response:
Locals raced to the area late at night to aid survivors, despite the fact that the darkness
hampered their efforts. Different departments were trying to get help to the location as the
sun rose. Locals rescued the driver of the train (Sir Syed Express), who was mildly hurt, two
hours after the accident. The Pak army and rangers, as well as army physicians, doctors, and
ambulances from all institutions nearby, assisted in the rescue attempts. To help in the effort,
a professional search team was flown in from Sectarian. Two helicopters were sent in from
Multan to remove the casualties. Accident relief trains with heavy equipment and
professional teams came from Sadiqabad and Rohri. The midday heat impeded rescue
attempts as the temperature was very high that day.
Dead bodies were sent to nearby hospitals in Ubaro, Mirpur, Ghotki and Daharki
which had declared emergencies. The most injured individuals were flown to Panoo Aqil by
helicopter.

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 (Figure: Post Accident Response)
5.0 Financial Losses:
The accident resulted in more than 500 million losses due to wreckage of trains, rail
tracks and fatalities. The injured also effected economic losses. The government
spent no expenses in caring of injured and giving compensation to the families of
dead people. Government started offering them compensation and helping injured
as soon as the situation was controlled. After the removal of wreckage, the tracks
were repaired and restored so that no such incident will happen again. Moreover,
a joint investigation team was formed to investigate the incident so that future
similarities can be avoided.
The payments allocated by government for the relatives of deceased and injured family
were:
i. Deceased 9400$ (Rs.1500000)
ii. Injured 620$ to 1900$ (Rs.100000 to Rs.300000
6.0 Investigation of the incident:
Imran Khan, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, said he was "shocked" by the train
disaster and demanded an inquiry. A "high-level probe" was initiated to establish how the
crash occurred, according to Minister for Railways Azam Khan Swati, who also noted
that it is unknown if the tragedy was caused by the track's poor status. The Millet Express
was derailed due to the collapse some welding joint on the right side of the rails,
according to an early inquiry report. For the final report black boxes of the two engines
were recovered from the havoc and information stored in them helped in final
investigations.
1. Breakage of Welding Joint:

According to the article, the collision caused Sir Syed Express engine and four
coaches to derail, and specialists were trying to locate the black boxes of both trains so
that they can manage to extract data from them.
According to reports, information gathered from the recovered black boxes would be
added to the Federal Inspectors of Railways' inquiry report. According to the study, six
Millet Express coaches and the engine did not derail, while 12 Sir Syed Express
passenger coaches did not derail as a result of the incident.
2. Overloading:
According to the investigation's conclusions, the accident happened as a result of
the baggage van's heavy load, which put a lot of strain on the track. According to the
investigation, it's possible that the items of the wrecked Millet train exceeded the luggage
limit.
During the investigation, he luggage van's route – which was crucial in determining the
cause of the accident – "was mysteriously and abruptly sent to Faisalabad instead of
Lahore to avoid detailed examination," according to the investigation report, which also
informed that an information report was also sent to officials.

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 It's probable that the route was altered to get rid of the overweight cargo.
According to the sources, relevant divisional officials disobeyed orders to delete
evidence, and the inquiry performed in these conditions could not be considered
trustworthy or appropriate. "The Inspector of Railways for the Federal Government
raised reservations and forwarded the report to the railways minister and chairman."
Swati discarded 09 railway officials on Wednesday for their incompetence in the disaster.
Railway minister insisted that a defect in the eight-mile length of railway rails
was unlikely to have caused the disaster. The eight-mile length of rails where the tragedy
happened had just received maintenance. The minister claimed that he and other top
officials had personally viewed the accident site.
7.0 General Causes and Preventions:
General Causes:
Train accidents happen for a number of causes, the majority of which occur at
crossings when automobiles try to "beat" the train. Passengers, drivers, and some
bystanders are frequently involved in these incidents.
Some general causes of railway accidents are:
I. Derailment of railway tracks
II. Psychological errors
III. Over speeding
IV. Mechanics error
V. Weather conditions
VI. Human Error
VII. Not implementation of railway rules
VIII. Suicide cases
IX. Improper Communication
X. Deficiency of skilled professionals
Preventions:
Companies are required to ensure the safety of travellers, workers, pedestrians etc. in
order to accomplish railroad and railway safety. When such catastrophe occurs, the black
box in engine is the only source of information which will reveal facts about what caused
the accident, such as the train's speed and direction.
Fortunately, the travel industry prioritizes everyone's safety more than ever.
Operators go through hard practices and are only allowed when they match tight criteria.
The officials of travel departments from different states make sure that railroad tracks and
infrastructure are safe and up to date in accordance with safety requirements across the
country.
Some important practices which can be implemented to prevent such catastrophes
are:
I. Do not make a stop in between the tracks.
II. Check all light signals before entering or exiting a tunnel.

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 III. Do not play or run on tracks.
IV. Never run your vehicle beside the train.
V. Keep in mind trains suck people towards them when standing close to a
moving train.

8.0 Future Strategies:

It may be in Pakistan Railways' best interests to research how other nations have
revolutionized railway safety procedures. For the past 11 years, there hasn't been a deadly
train accident in the United Kingdom. Its accident death rate has similarly dropped from
0.43 to 0.06 per billion kilometers travelled. Even a five to ten-minute time delay is now
considered an issue in certain nations. If we applied this approach to Pakistan Railways,
we'd be dealing with hundreds of problems per year — maybe whenever a train makes a
stop at a station. The railway department of Pakistan is clearly behind the times and out
of touch with the rest of the globe. Every railway system in a developed country has
some type of system which manages the health and safety standards, which is based on
national or international standards like “ISO 45001”. There is no such system in Pakistan
Railways. Its extensive pre-Partition railway legislation may resemble a criminal code of
conduct, but they don’t define or establish a contemporary safety and management
system. In Pakistan the railway system’s only alternative unless it recognizes this truth is
to continue to experience countless recurrent mishaps, which are unavoidable.
The development and implementation of Pakistan Railways' own Occupational
Health and Safety Management System is vital and required. It would be catastrophe on
officials turn if they did not do so. Unfortunately, and incorrectly, most railway incidents
are still blamed on lineman, railway cross operators, train running officials such as
drivers and operators, electrical works or travelers. It might be preferable for system to
start by hiring an internal committee of specialists to investigate such catastrophes and
havocs. The management could select the best course of action for building and
implementing such a system in Pakistan Railways after a fundamental knowledge has
been created. There is no federal law or authority in Pakistan to supervise safety and
health and form standards, or function to keep on eye. There are no provincial health and
safety rules in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Baluchistan. These laws exist in Punjab and
Sindh, yet they are still ineffective.
9.0 References:
o The Nation. 2021. Railway Report. [online] Available at:
<https://nation.com.pk/10-Aug-2021/railway-report> [Accessed 23 November
2021].
o The Express Tribune. 2021. Overloading damaged the track: Ghotki train crash
report | The Express Tribune. [online] Available at:
<https://tribune.com.pk/story/2304992/overloading-damaged-the-track-ghotki-
train-crash-report> [Accessed 23 November 2021].

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o Thenews.com.pk. 2021. Here are major train accidents in Pakistan since 1953.
[online] Available at: <https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/548934-here-are-
major-train-accidents-in-pakistan-since-1953> [Accessed 23 November 2021].
o Thenews.com.pk. 2021. Ghotki train accident occurred when track's welding
joint broke. says initial report. [online] Available at:
<https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/846421-ghotki-train-accident-occurred-
when-tracks-welding-joint-broke-says-initial-report> [Accessed 23 November
2021].
o Thenews.com.pk. 2021. Preventing accidents. [online] Available at:
<https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/577729-preventing-accidents> [Accessed 23
November 2021].
o Associates, G., Associates, G. and Associates, G., 2021. Railroad Accidents:
Common Causes, Statistics and Prevention. [online] Sidgilreath.com. Available
at: <https://www.sidgilreath.com/learn/railroad-accidents-causes.html> [Accessed
23 November 2021].
o En.wikipedia.org. 2021. 2021 Ghotki rail crash - Wikipedia. [online] Available at:
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021_Ghotki_rail_crash#Response> [Accessed 23
November 2021].