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Railway officials said the temporary suspension of four days from November 9 to 12 was a precautionary measure based on the advice of security and intelligence agencies to ensure the safety of passengers, railway staff, citizens and critical railway assets.
Locals say the move will impact thousands of commuters who rely on the Jaffar Express as the most economical mode of transport between the two cities.
The Jafar Express has been repeatedly targeted by rebels and terrorists in recent months, with the attack in March being the deadliest.
In March, the outlawed Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) hijacked the Jaffar Express with 380 passengers on board, triggering a two-day standoff in the mountainous region and killing 26 people. Security forces later rescued about 354 passengers, while 33 rebels were killed.
In October, several people were injured in an explosion on a railway track in Sindh province, which derailed five bogies of a train.
In September, an explosion on the track in the Mastung area of Balochistan damaged one coach and derailed six others, injuring 12 passengers.
On August 10, an improvised explosive device derailed six coaches of the same train at Mastung, injuring four people. On 4 August, the pilot engine sent for clearance was hit by gunfire near Kolpur, with the BLA later claiming responsibility for the attack.
In July, three coaches of the Jafar Express train derailed due to an explosion in Sindh. In a similar attack in June, a bomb blast derailed four coaches of the Jafar Express in Sindh’s Jacobabad district, although no casualties were reported.
In November last year, a suicide bomber blew himself up at Quetta railway station, killing at least 26 people and injuring dozens.
In recent months, insurgent groups have increasingly used Balochistan’s remote and rugged terrain to target convoys, railway tracks and trains.