What is the motif of train in the novel "Train to Pakistan"?

From the title alone, it’s clear that trains play a key role in Train to Pakistan. A form of quick public transportation, trains connect Mano Majra to the rest of the world. The two trains that regularly stop serve as a type of clock for the largely illiterate Mano Majra villagers. As the mail train rushes through on its way to Lahore, this signals to the village that it’s time to get up and start the day. And when the final goods train comes in at night, everyone knows it’s time for bed. Thus, from early on, the train symbolizes technology, order, and structure.

This changes drastically when the first train of dead Sikhs rolls into Mano Majra. Until then, the chaos affecting the rest of the country were only rumors. It’s fitting that a train makes the distant tales of violence a harsh reality in Mano Majra. Sadly, these death trains are not anomalies, but semi-regular occurrences. Even Hukum Chand recounts a story he heard about Sunder Singh, a colleague who fled Pakistan via train with his family. The conditions on the train were so horrific that Sunder ended up executing his family to spare them from continued suffering. Suddenly, trains become symbolic of the horrors of religious persecution, government instability, and mob violence. Rather than being a vehicle that brings fleeing Sikhs and Muslims to safety, trains are a death trap.