Demonstrators protest against the poor state of the Pakistani railway system at a train station in Quetta yesterday. Warning that trains in Pakistan could come to a screeching halt, Railways Minister Ghulam Ahmad Bilour called for the immediate release of government-approved funds to revamp the decaying system and gear it for cheaper and efficient means of travel. The minister, who is on a visit to the United States, said the main cause of the current crisis is that over the years road transportation system was given preference over railways, which received step-motherly treatment.