Peshawar Cargo Express Train launch planned

PESHAWAR: The Pakistan Railways (PR) has expressed the intention to launch the “ Peshawar Cargo Express Train” and sought proposals from private parties to outsource commercial management of the service.

The proposed Peshawar Cargo Express Train will operate between Peshawar and Karachi, said a press release. The train, having a potential carrying capacity of 1,500 tonnes, will operate daily both from Peshawar to Karachi and from Karachi to Peshawar with stops at Lahore and Rawalpindi.

An advertisement asked interested parties to submit proposals for the launch of the project by April 19. Meanwhile, the plan for Peshawar Cargo Express Train has been hailed by the business community dealing in import, export and trade with Afghanistan.

Chairman Standing Committee of the Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) on Railways, Zia-ul-Haq Sarhadi, termed the decision a response to the demand of the business community of the country.

The decision will not only prove as a potential source of revenue generation for the railways but will also solve a lot of problems being faced by the business community in transporting goods between Karachi and Peshawar through bonded carriers.

Transportation of goods by cargo train will also revive the lost livelihood of more than 270 Customs Clearing Agents in KP and make the newly constructed Azakhel Dryport operational, added Zia ul Haq Sarhadi who is also President of Frontier Customs Clearing Agents Association. He said consignments of different goods including gemstones, minerals, furniture, fruits, handcraft, herbal items and match sticks are exported on a daily basis from Peshawar to Karachi and will be sent by cargo train in the future.

Similarly, raw materials for different industries in KP are being transported from Karachi which can also be a source of earning for Pakistan Railways.He mentioned that in the prevailing scenario of price hike of petroleum products, transportation of goods between Karachi and Peshawar has become much more expensive thus putting a huge burden on businessmen. Sarhadi urged the railways to launch the Peshawar Cargo Train service.