Pakistan Railways is celebrating record passenger revenues, but a string of recent derailments is raising uncomfortable questions about whether financial gains are outpacing safety reforms on the ground.

The department earned Rs110 million on the first day of Eid, Rs170 million on the second and more than Rs200 million on the third, taking total passenger revenue for the week beyond Rs1 billion. The surge comes as the government pushes to lift overall earnings past Rs100 billion in FY26, following estimated revenue of Rs93 billion in FY25.

Yet, on the very first day after Eid holidays, a Karachi-bound train, Tezgam, derailed, leaving revenue generation behind and putting safety concerns first in the mind of the general public, as behind the strong numbers now lies growing unease among passengers, one that revenue figures alone cannot settle.

"I travel frequently by train because it is affordable and convenient, but these accidents are becoming a routine," said Ahmed Raza, a regular passenger. "Every time something happens, they announce an inquiry. For us, those inquiries don't matter anymore because nothing visibly changes. What matters is whether we reach safely as whenever I travelled via railways in recent years, it came with an uncomfortable state of mind, with weird thoughts of rail accidents," Raza added.

Such concern reflects a broader sentiment that has intensified after multiple incidents in recent days. On March 24, Karachi-bound Tezgam Express derailed in Punjab, injuring several passengers. Just days earlier, Lahore-bound Shalimar Express also met with an accident. These incidents, though not always catastrophic, have become frequent enough to erode confidence in the system. At the same time, fares were increased in March after a sharp rise in diesel prices linked to ongoing geopolitical tensions involving Iran, Israel, and the United States. While the fare hike has boosted revenues, it has also sharpened public scrutiny.

Passengers paying higher prices now expect tangible improvements in safety and service quality, expectations that remain largely unmet, especially in the safety segment.

The core issue lies in infrastructure. Most of the derailments continue to occur on Main Line-1 (ML-1) and Main Line-2 (ML-2), the busiest corridors handling the bulk of passenger and freight traffic. Despite their importance, these corridors still rely heavily on ageing, colonial-era tracks and outdated signalling systems. Increased train frequency, without proportional investment in maintenance and upgrades, has turned these corridors into high-risk stretches.

Railway officials insist that improvements are underway, pointing to track rehabilitation efforts and plans to upgrade key sections such as the Karachi-Rohri route within the next three years. A senior railway official said the department is trying to balance financial recovery with infrastructure development, but admitted that the scale of the challenge is significant and cannot be resolved overnight.

However, the broader concern goes beyond just the main corridors. If Pakistan Railways succeeds in reviving dormant branch lines and expanding freight operations, a key goal of the current administration, the existing weaknesses could spread across a larger network. Without comprehensive modernisation, activating more routes on the same ageing backbone may increase operational risks rather than reducing them. The prime minister and the railways minister are pushing aggressively to increase passenger volumes and capture a larger share of freight traffic. On the other side, recurring derailments continue to undermine the very trust needed to achieve that expansion.

Historically, inquiries into accidents have been ordered promptly, but their findings rarely translate into systemic reform. "For passengers, this cycle has become predictable, an accident, an inquiry, and then a return to business as usual," said Zia Ali, another passenger who travelled via Tezgam just one day before its recent derailment.

He added that still people will travel via rail, especially an average Pakistani, who cannot afford to travel via coaches with their families. "Most of the Pakistanis do not have an option other than railways. The recent spike in earnings shows that demand for rail travel remains strong, particularly during peak seasons. But sustained growth will depend less on fare adjustments and more on whether Pakistan Railways can convince passengers that it is safe, reliable, and modern," Ali added.