Jaffer Express under fire: Quetta station shooting highlights surge in attacks on vital rail link
Jaffer Express faces repeated assaults as Quetta shooting disrupts services; railway officials report dozens of attacks, raising fresh security and travel concerns.
The Jaffer Express, a 1,000-mile lifeline linking Quetta and major Pakistani cities, has come under renewed scrutiny after a shooting at Quetta railway station disrupted services and forced many passengers to cancel travel plans. Railway officials say the line has suffered at least 27 attacks in the past 18 months, and journalists at the station on Feb. 13 found themselves amid what officials later termed the 28th incident. The episode underscored the persistent threat to the train and the wider transport network in Balochistan.
Shootout at Quetta station forces cancellations
At about 8:20 a.m., gunfire shattered the station’s morning routine and sent passengers and staff scrambling for cover. Witnesses described panicked scenes as families and commuters rushed into waiting rooms or hid behind ticket counters while shots echoed across the platform.
After roughly 15 minutes of intermittent firing, police and railway officials inspected the site and concluded the episode involved a car-snatching gang rather than an insurgent ambush. Nevertheless, the immediate result was the same: dozens of travelers abandoned plans and demanded refunds amid fears of further violence.
Escalating pattern of attacks on the Jaffer Express
The train’s exposure to violence is not new, but attacks have accelerated in recent months. Officials cite at least 27 incidents over an 18-month span, including derailments, bombings and an extended hostage crisis that left scores dead. Less than two weeks before the Quetta episode, an explosion on Jan. 27 derailed four bogies of the service, illustrating the recurring sabotage of track infrastructure.
Militant groups have periodically claimed responsibility for attacks, with some strikes designed to inflict civilian casualties and others focused on disabling the rail line’s operational capacity. The cumulative effect has been repeated disruptions to schedules and long periods when parts of the route are suspended for repairs and security reviews.
Major attacks and the March 2025 hostage crisis
Among recent high-casualty incidents was a March 11, 2025 operation in which militants intercepted the Jaffer Express in a remote stretch of Balochistan. According to official tallies, the 36-hour standoff involved some 440 passengers and ended with the deaths of dozens, including militants and civilians, and several security personnel. Earlier, on Nov. 9, 2024, a suicide attack at Quetta station killed more than two dozen people waiting for the train.
Other notable events include a Sept. 25 bombing that injured at least a dozen passengers and was claimed by an armed separatist faction. Collectively, these episodes have heightened public concern and kept the Jaffer Express in the spotlight as both a target and a symbol in the province’s long-running insurgency.
Bolan Pass: the most vulnerable corridor
Rail officials point to a roughly 150-mile stretch through the Bolan Pass as the most perilous segment of the route. The corridor, carved during the British colonial era and defined by tunnels, gorges and bridges, forces the train to slow to barely 18 miles an hour in places. That reduced speed is mechanically necessary but makes the train particularly exposed to attackers positioned on surrounding heights.
Security planners say the geography leaves passengers vulnerable in areas where mobile coverage is sparse and reinforcement is slow to arrive. Militants exploit those conditions, turning the pass into a recurring flashpoint for sabotage and ambushes that can strand services for days.
Security measures and operational challenges
To mitigate risks, authorities have installed track surveillance cameras, deployed paramilitary guards onboard, and positioned escort vehicles where roads run alongside the railway. These measures have reduced some risks but have not eliminated targeted attacks or sabotage that damage rolling stock and track integrity.
Railway workers emphasize the limits of such measures in remote terrain and under sustained militant pressure. Employees at Quetta stressed they are largely focused on keeping services running while relying on security forces to counter armed groups — a division of responsibility that passengers say does little to ease immediate anxiety when violence flares.
Passengers and livelihoods caught between danger and necessity
For many travelers, the Jaffer Express is not a convenience but a necessity. Tens of thousands of migrant workers travel into and across Balochistan to support families elsewhere in Pakistan and cannot afford alternatives such as air travel. Traders, laborers and their families said they weighed the dangers against the costs and perils of road travel, where militants have established checkpoints and targeted travelers from other provinces.
At Quetta station, commuters like Rana Safdar, a carpenter heading to Punjab, voiced resignation: frustrated by risks but with limited options, many accept sporadic threats as part of routine travel. Others, including those who canceled on the morning of the shooting, said the immediate fear of being stranded in remote stretches with no signal or reinforcement tipped the balance toward postponing journeys.
Security analysts say reducing attacks will require a combination of intelligence-driven operations, infrastructure hardening, and political steps to address grievances that fuel violence. Meanwhile, the Jaffer Express continues to run on a fragile thread between the economic lifeline it represents and the persistent security challenges along its route.
The Quetta station shooting reinforced a reality passengers and railway staff confront regularly: the Jaffer Express remains indispensable for many but increasingly fraught with risk, and small incidents can quickly cascade into travel disruptions and renewed calls for stronger, more sustained protections.