QUETTA: Jaffar Express train service between Quetta and Peshawar remained suspended for the second consecutive day following an explosion on a railway track that derailed several of its carriages earlier this week.
Pakistan Railways officials confirmed that all passengers have received a full refund and the service will remain suspended for the three days.
On Tuesday, a powerful explosion targeted the railway track in the Spinzand Dasht area of Mastung, causing six carriages of the Jaffar Express to derail, with one overturning. At least five passengers sustained injuries in the incident.
Officials said most passengers managed to return home on their own, while Pakistan Railways dispatched a relief train from Quetta to assist those stranded.
Although the injuries were minor, authorities confirmed that they had not yet restored the affected section of track.
Authorities added that repair teams were working to restore the track.
Balochistan has seen a sharp rise in terrorist attacks in recent years. Militants have increasingly targeted railway lines and other transport infrastructure across the province.
In August 2025, a powerful explosion ripped through the tracks in Mastung, derailing six carriages of the Jaffer Express. No casualties were reported, but the blast forced authorities to suspend train services to and from Balochistan for four days. The Fitna al Hindustan claimed responsibility for the attack.
Just months earlier, in March 2025, armed militants bombed a section of track in the Bolan region, the fighters hijacked the Jaffer Express and held more than 100 passengers hostage for hours. The standoff ended in bloodshed as security forces launched a counter-operation, leaving all terrorists and freeing the hostages. Several militants and civilians are dead.
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Other attacks have targeted key railway infrastructure. An explosive device detonated between Mach and Ab-e-Gum injured a railway worker and disrupting traffic, while militants also struck a major railway bridge in the Bolan Pass, damaging the track over a dry riverbed and halting traffic on the crucial Quetta–Sibi route.
