Rail freight revival crucial to easing Karachi’s road congestion, say stakeholders

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KARACHI: Pakistan Railway Divisional Superintendent Mahmoodur Rehman Lakho has said that Karachi handles 99 % of Pakistan’s cargo, which must be turned from roads to the railway. Otherwise, the city will suffer from its road infrastructure, which will lead to heavy outbound vehicles to the roads to cross the roads.

Addressing a meeting at the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), Lakhu said that the visit of the country’s largest chamber was aimed at finding ways to restore and strengthen the rail freight between Karachi and major industrial and commercial hubs in Pakistan. He said, “Going to the rail freight is not only economically beneficial but also environmentally responsible. Rail transport is three times more effective than the road freight, which helps reduce carbon emissions, saves foreign exchange on fuel imports and relieves pressure on the highways.”

Lakho highlighted that the railway has taken important steps to modernize its freight work over the past decade. Between 2013 and 2015, more than 1,400 hopper wagons, 2,000 high -capacity flat wagons and 55 modern engines were added to the fleet. These additions have increased the pay load capacity from an average of 20 tonnes to 60 tonnes per wagon, which can carry more than 4,000 tonnes of cargo.

He expressed concern over the delayed implementation of the Mainline 1 (ML -1) project under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), actually considered as a game changer for Pakistan’s rail infrastructure.

Without ML -1, the railway is forced to offer high -speed cargo services in Karachi, score, Multan and the northern areas, then over distances.

Lakhu also told the gathering that Pakistan Railways is working on enthusiastic projects to restore international rail freight services connecting Karachi to Iran, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan.

He added that the railways are allowed to transfer the heavy trucks and minimize the minimal fuel by the introduction of modern -day models such as multi -model freight Movement, such as multi -model freight Movement, Karachi export -based sectors, such as the introduction of RORO), ROORO), such as the train, such as the train. He said that the CCI and its members of the department, together with the members of the department, are ready to identify freight priorities and launch the pilot routes which connect Karachi to Lahore, Faisalabad, Multan, Rawalpindi and Peshawar.

Businessman Group (BMG) chairman Zubair Motiwala welcomed the visit to the railway officials, calling it an essential attempt to eliminate the difference between the Pakistan Railways and the business community. He said that the railway has historically served as the backbone of the country’s trade and industrial logistics. However, due to neglect, mismanagement and increasing dependence on road transportation, this sector has lost its importance. “As a result, logistics costs have increased, roads have deteriorated due to overuse, and the entire supply series has become more at risk of obstacles such as fuel shortage, political protests and highway closure.” Motiwala said that Karachi industries, which will already benefit from the slow movement of raw materials and manufactured goods. He said that freight trains are not only more cost -effective and timely, but are also more flexible and more flexible with external shocks than road transport. He added that Karachi’s roads are dense with heavy trucks that are passing through densely populated areas, causing traffic congestion, pollution and road loss. Increasing and restoration of railway cargo services will significantly reduce the pressure on urban infrastructure and improve logistics performance.

KCCI President Judge Bulani also called for an urgent need to restore rail cargo operations as a strategic priority for the country’s economy. He said that as the industrial and commercial capital of Pakistan, Karachi lacks road infrastructure to bear the logical burden of the entire country. With hundreds of thousands of trucks entering and exiting daily, the road network is deteriorating rapidly, and repeated supply chain malfunction occurs due to traffic jams, strikes and fuel -related barriers.

Bilani noted that countries that maintain low logistics costs – especially by rail – strengthen industrial growth and export competition. He demanded the cargo trains near the Karachi industrial zone, which has many high exporters in the country. He called on the Pakistan Railways to look for operational models, including the introduction of roof wagons to carry the entire trucks by train, the maintenance of freight services as well as the rehabilitation of Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) for passengers, and industrial rail crossings and more than industrial rails.

Bulani proposed the establishment of a joint working committee between the KCCI and the Railways to develop and monitor the pilot freight services, align the train schedules with port operations, resolve the customs clearance challenges, and resolve the customs clearance challenges, and resolved the challenges.