Rehman Baba Express Derails Near Multan, Killing Five

Five people died and more than 40 were injured when the Peshawar-bound Rehman Baba Express derailed near Sher Shah Railway Station in Multan district in the early hours of October 13, Pakistan Railways chief executive Muhammad Hafeezullah confirmed to Dawn. The train was travelling from Karachi when several of its passenger coaches left the tracks; the injured were taken to Nishtar Hospital in Multan.

Early reports from the scene on the day of the crash had put the death toll at four, with airport and rescue sources cited by The Nation saying details were still coming in. Pakistan Railways' confirmed figure of five deaths and more than 40 injuries, updated as of October 14, is the one the railway itself stands behind.

What the driver and the railway are saying

The cause has not been established. Pakistan Railways' own initial investigation report said the derailment was "likely caused by a fault in a passenger coach," but stressed this was not yet confirmed. The train's driver, Rizwan Abbas, gave a different account: he said the Rehman Baba Express was running at about 100 km/h with a clear signal when he "suddenly felt a push," braked immediately and brought the train to a stop. He maintained the train itself was in working order.

A passenger separately told reporters that nuts and bolts on one coach had been repaired near Rohri before the derailment, a claim Dawn's report said could not be independently verified.

An inquiry, and a maintenance deadline set for December

Railways Minister Hanif Abbasi appointed the federal government inspector of railways to investigate, telling reporters, "We have appointed the FGIR to probe the incident." He also used the crash to criticise years of neglected upkeep across the network, saying "before this, no one even tried to focus on the mechanical condition of trains," and describing some freight wagons in use as effectively "dummies" without working brakes. Abbasi set December 31 as the deadline for completing repair work on locomotives, coaches and wagons, and said compensation for victims would be paid under Pakistan Railways' insurance policy.

Hafeezullah, the railway's chief executive, had separately said on October 1 — before this derailment — that a lack of maintenance over the preceding five years was behind a string of earlier accidents on the network. Pakistan has separately been negotiating financing for its ageing rail infrastructure, including a proposed $1.1 billion loan from the Asian Development Bank for the long-delayed ML-1 line upgrade between Karachi and Peshawar, the same route the Rehman Baba Express runs.

Getting passengers moving again

Pakistan Railways arranged a replacement train carrying more than 500 passengers out of Sher Shah station, and the Multan district administration provided buses for travellers who chose to continue by road. The railway's commercial department put field formations on high alert, and round-the-clock help desks were set up at major stations to arrange alternative travel and refunds. Multan Commissioner Amir Karim Khan met affected passengers and their families at the scene. President Asif Ali Zardari offered condolences and called for a transparent investigation, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered expedited rescue and medical care for the injured.

A network still rebuilding its safety record

The derailment lands three years after the Hazara Express came off the tracks near Nawabshah in August 2023, killing at least 30 people, and in the same year Pakistan Railways relaunched its flagship Karakoram Express with upgraded coaches as part of a wider push to modernise ageing rolling stock. Whether the Rehman Baba Express derailment turns out to be a coach fault, a track defect or something else will depend on the federal inspector's findings, which have not yet been made public.

Build Better Pakistan's Security Desk is following the inquiry into the Rehman Baba Express derailment and will update this piece when Pakistan Railways publishes its findings.