LAHORE – The black box of the Awam Express, which was involved in an accident in Lodhran, has been recovered, paving the way for investigators to determine why the driver failed to apply brakes in time and why the train was travelling above the prescribed speed limit of 15 km/h.
The officials said that the Federal Inspector of Railways has formally launched an inquiry into the Lodhran accident.
Statements of the train driver and other railway staff have already been recorded, while the final investigation report will be submitted to the Ministry of Railways upon completion.
Railway sources said the recovered black box has been handed over to engineers for decoding. The device will provide crucial data, including whether the driver applied brakes, the train’s speed at the time of the accident, why the train did not stop at the loop line, and how it eventually collided with the sand hump.
Authorities confirmed that the Awam Express was supposed to enter Lodhran station at a maximum speed of 15 km/h, but it was moving much faster. Although the driver reportedly tried to apply brakes at the last moment, the train failed to stop and crashed into the sand hump. The impact caused the locomotive and five coaches to derail, with several coaches piling up on each other—an indication of the excessive speed.
Officials dismissed the possibility of brake failure, noting that the Chinese-manufactured 3,000-horsepower locomotive was equipped with a modern automatic braking system, which applies brakes automatically in case of a malfunction.
Meanwhile, the inquiry report into the recent Islamabad Express accident has already been submitted to the Ministry of Railways. However, no action has yet been taken against the officers and employees held responsible for negligence in that incident.
Railway officials pointed out that passengers’ safety continues to be at risk, whether due to track deterioration or human error. The Lodhran accident marks the ninth derailment or train-related mishap this month alone—a record number of accidents reported in a single month in Pakistan Railways’ history.
At an emergency meeting on Sunday, Federal Minister for Railways Hanif Abbasi expressed strong displeasure over the recurring incidents, warning officers that no one would be spared. He directed officials to step out of their air-conditioned offices, conduct regular track inspections, and ensure refresher training courses for drivers.
The preliminary findings of the Lodhran accident also attributed the crash to delayed braking.
The final inquiry report is expected once all data from the black box is analysed under the supervision of the Federal Inspector of Railways.
