For the first time since partition, Pakistan Railways (PR) has inducted 65 new Chinese container wagons into its goods carriages fleet as a part of its ongoing modernisation on Monday.
Comprising these Chinese container wagons, the first high-speed and high capacity freight train will soon be rolled out for its first journey between Karachi to Lahore.
Though no confirmed date has yet been announced for the start of the freight train's operation, it is expected to make its first journey on May 15.
Speaking at the launching ceremony of the train, Railways Minister, Ghous Bux Mahar said that soon after conducting the necessary tests and trials, the train would start its operation.
He hoped that with the introduction of this high-speed, high capacity freight train, Pakistan Railways would be able to enhance its revenue substantially under the head of haulage.
He mentioned that the train had been formed with arrival of the first batch of 65 Chinese container wagons, out of the 400 Chinese manufactured container wagons.
He stated that initiative was a part of the government's commitment to transform PR as one of the best railways of the world.
The government had been determined to take four major initiatives to improve the standard of PR services and make it a commercially viable organisation that included dualisation of the track from Khanewal to Lodhran, the induction of latest locomotives, freight train and upgradation of the signalling system, he added.
He asserted that out of these four commitments the government, with the launch of the freight train had fulfilled three of them, whereas the modernisation of signalling system would also be taken care shortly.
Discussing the pending Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) project, he identified resource-constraint and paucity of funds as the major hurdle for the delay but assured that the government was determined to realise the project and must allocate substantial amount for it in the next budget.
He pointed out that the complete summary of the project had been prepared, which was ready to be moved in the cabinet for the final approval.
He further spoke on Pak-China friendship and hoped that the accord for the supply of these container wagons between the two countries would further bolster their brotherly ties.
The agreement would not only help PR to acquire the wagons but also envisaged technology transfer to PR which would itself assemble the remaining lot of the wagons at its Mughalpura workshop.
Earlier, General Manager, Manufacturing and Services Pakistan Railways, Major General Hamid Hasan Butt (Retd) and General Manager Operation PR, Aurangzeb Khan highlighted the details of the agreement inked for obtaining the Chinese wagons.
They mentioned that PR entered into an agreement in September 2003 with the Chinese companies Meshang Rolling Stock and its partner Tung Fong Electric Corporation for acquiring a total of 1,300 container wagons.
Out of these, 400 would arrive in the form of CBU, while the remaining 900 would be locally assembled at Mughalpura workshop as a part technology transfer provision of the agreement.
The first batch of 65 container wagons designed specifically for Pakistani environment had arrived in less than seven months, they added.
Moreover, they said that the induction of the high-capacity, high-speed freight train would increase freight income of PR, which recently had inked four accords with the local companies for the transportation of edible oil to the northern parts of the country and another for transportation of cement to Iran.
Chia Chun Chung of Meshang Company and Wan Chun Wang of Tung Fong also spoke at the occasion.
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