Proposed launch of cargo train: Railways invites proposals for commercial management of service

PESHAWAR: While expressing its intention of introducing Peshawar Cargo Express Train service, Pakistan Railways (PR) has sought proposals from private parties for outsourcing commercial management of the proposed scheme.

As per an advertisement that appeared in a section of the media, the proposed Peshawar Cargo Express Train will operate between the Peshawar city station and Karachi city station via the PR’s main line.

The train will run from Peshawar on a load of 10 ZBCs, a type of bogie used to transport various items, five ZBCs from Rawalpindi and multiple ZBCs from Lahore to Karachi and vice versa, said the advertisement issued by PR’s Deputy Chief Marketing Manager (Freight) Zeeshan Shahzad.

According to a press release issued on Sunday, the train having a potential capacity of 1,500 tonnes will operate daily from Peshawar to Karachi and from Karachi to Peshawar with en-route stopping stations of Lahore and Rawalpindi for attaching and detaching ZBCs.

The interested parties should submit proposals by April 19, 2023 while a pre-bid with all the interested parties will be held on April 13, the advertisement added.

The PR’s plan to launch the Peshawar Cargo Express Train has been hailed by the business community members involved in import, export and trade with Afghanistan.

Chairman of the Standing Committee of Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Railways Zia-ul-Haq Sarhadi lauded the decision.

He said that not only will the proposed service prove to be a source of revenue for Pakistan Railways but will also solve a lot of problems being faced by the business community due to transportation of goods through bonded carriers.

Transportation of goods by cargo trains will also revive the livelihood of more than 270 Customs Clearing Agents in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and make the newly constructed Aza Khel Dry port operational, added Zia-ul-Haq Sarhadi, who is also president of the Frontier Customs Clearing Agents Association.

He said export consignments of different goods, including those of gemstones, minerals, furniture, fruits, handicraft, herbal items and match sticks, are sent on a daily basis from Peshawar to Karachi which will now be sent through cargo trains. Similarly, raw materials for different industries in KP are transported from Karachi which can also be a source of earning for the Pakistan Railways.

Because of the steep increase in the prices of petroleum products, transportation of goods between Karachi and Peshawar through trucks has become expensive and is putting tremendous burden on businessmen. Launching of the cargo train service will, therefore, provide relief to the businessmen.

Zia Sarhadi urged the senior PR officials to fully concentrate on the execution of the proposed scheme which will not only benefit the business community of the country but also prove to be beneficial for the government department by increasing its revenues.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023