New Islamabad Express Derails Hours After Inauguration, Several Injured
October 11, 2025
SOHAWA: The newly launched Islamabad Express faced a serious setback on Friday evening when it derailed near Sohawa, just two hours after its inauguration. Several passengers sustained injuries, though no fatalities were reported, according to rescue officials.
The train had been inaugurated earlier in the day by Federal Minister for Railways Hanif Abbasi at 5:30 PM. However, around 7:30 PM, the train went off the tracks near a hilly section of Sohawa with a loud crash, damaging multiple coaches. Rail traffic remained suspended on both up and down tracks for nearly three hours.
According to passengers Arshad Ali and Rustam, the train slowed down as it entered the hilly area and “strange sounds were coming from underneath” moments before the derailment. “It felt like an earthquake,” one passenger said. “People were frightened, but thankfully, everyone survived.”
Railway union representatives alleged that refurbished and outdated coaches had been used for the train, presented as new after being repainted. They also pointed out missing safety equipment and said repeated requests for essential maintenance had been ignored.
The Divisional Superintendent of Railways, Rawalpindi, confirmed that engineers and rescue teams were dispatched immediately after the incident. Teams from Jhelum and Sohawa assisted in clearing the tracks, and train movement was restored after about three hours.
Senior railway officials, including the Chief Mechanical Engineer and Chief Engineer, reached the site to oversee recovery operations and initiate an internal investigation. A preliminary report on the cause of the accident is expected within the next few days.
According to railway sources, the section near Sohawa had long-standing alignment issues, previously reported to authorities. Early findings suggest that a misaligned junction point may have caused one of the wheels to slip off the track, leading to the derailment.
