Pakistan-Russia Freight Train Service to Launch by Mid-March
LAHORE: Pakistan Railways Freight CEO Sufiyan Sarfaraz Dogar has announced that an international freight train service to Russia is expected to begin by March 15, aimed at boosting trade with regional partners including Iran, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, and Russia.
Key Details of the Service:
- The CEO urged businesses, especially members of the All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (Aptma), to commit to containerized cargo for the new service.
- The freight train will operate from the Qasim International Container Terminal and Pakistan International Container Terminal, offering container capacities of 22 tons and 44 tons.
- Taftan station in Pakistan will serve as the main entry point for goods moving through the international corridor, with customs-related issues nearly resolved.
Boosting Trade Opportunities:
- The service is expected to enable Russia to export oil, natural gas, steel, and industrial goods to Pakistan, while Pakistani exporters will gain better access to markets in Iran, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, and Russia for textiles, food, and agricultural products such as rice, wheat, and cotton.
- The service follows a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by Pakistan and Russia during the 27th Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum in June 2024, which laid the foundation for the project.
Support from Aptma:
- Aptma Chairman Kamran Arshad highlighted the growing potential of Pakistan’s textile industry, with an export target of $50 billion within five years.
- He commended the government’s efforts to create a conducive environment for the textile sector’s growth and stressed the importance of developing infrastructure and value-added services to enhance trade.
- Arshad also recommended automating freight handling, establishing dry ports, and strengthening banking channels with Russia to further reduce costs and improve trade efficiency.
The new rail service promises to revolutionize regional trade dynamics, with full cooperation from Aptma to support its success. It is expected to establish a more efficient, cost-effective trade route connecting South Asia with Central Asia and Russia.