Claim: A video shows a train running over a faulty, partially broken railway line, somewhere in Pakistan.
Fact: The video does not show Pakistan Railways. The claim appears to be false as evidence suggests that the video is from Bangladesh.
On 3 July 2024, Pakistani X user Muhammad Arif, with 83.6k followers, shared a video clip (archive) of a train running over a faulty, partially broken railway line.
The caption of his post reads: حادثے ایسے ہوتے ہیں۔ کسی وقت بھی کئی سو جانیں جا سکتی ہیں ۔
برائے توجہ وزیراعظم پاکستان
Translation: [“This is how accidents happen. Hundreds of lives can be lost at any time. Pay attention Prime Minister of Pakistan.”]
Fact or Fiction?
Soch Fact Check investigated the claim and found that the video is not from Pakistan. The Federal Secretary and Chairman of Pakistan Railways, Syed Mazhar Ali Shah, replied to the X post in the claim and clarified that it is not from Pakistan, while urging that users verify the source before sharing news on social media.
FACT-CHECK BEFORE SHARING! It’s highly unfortunate that we spread unconfirmed info without verifying the source. This is NOT Pakistan Railways! Neither the rolling stock nor the infrastructure fittings are used in Pakistan. Let’s not tarnish our country’s image by sharing…
— Syed Mazhar Ali Shah (@mazharkcl) July 7, 2024
In the same X post, the Chairman added two screenshots of the viral video, pointing out signs which prove that it does not show Pakistan Railways. One of the screenshots points out the colours of the train, and the other shows a signpost with Bangla script on it. “Neither the rolling stock nor the infrastructure fittings are used in Pakistan”, he added.
STOP THE MISINFORMATION! Highly unfortunate that we share posts without confirmation. Some social media accounts falsely attribute this video to Pakistan, but let’s set the record straight: THIS IS NOT PAKISTAN RAILWAYS! The rolling stock and infrastructure fittings are not used… pic.twitter.com/smQGOTuRRj
— Syed Mazhar Ali Shah (@mazharkcl) July 7, 2024
Soch Fact Check further investigated the claim with a reverse image search of keyframes from the viral video. The results displayed photos of trains operating under the state-owned Bangladesh Railway. The video clip in the claim shows stripes of red, white and green at the bottom of the train, which matches the colours on the Bijoy Express. A YouTube channel dedicated to trains in Bangladesh also shows various shots of trains that closely resemble the train in the viral video.
Furthermore, a reverse image search of the faulty railway line brought up many links including the video. While some posts attributed the video to Pakistan, many were uploaded from Bangladesh-based accounts along with hashtags claiming that it shows the Bangladesh Railway. However, Soch Fact Check was not able to determine the exact location of the faulty railway line.
Virality
The viral clip by Muhammad Arif received 1.2k likes and was reposted 893 times on X. It was also shared in a Pakistani Facebook group here. The clip itself has been shared on TikTok and Youtube, however not all attribute it to Pakistan.
Conclusion: The viral video of a train running over a broken railway line is not from Pakistan. Soch Fact Check was not able to determine the exact location of the faulty railway line depicted in the video clip, but evidence strongly suggests that it shows Bangladesh Railway.