KARACHI – The Pakistan Railways is set to receive the first 40 of more than 200 modern, high-speed passenger coaches from China by the end of this year.
The move will augment railway operations across Pakistan, officials said on Sunday.
In November 2021, Pakistan and China’s CRRC Tangshan Locomotive & Rolling Stock Company signed an agreement for the supply of 230 high-speed coaches to Pakistan Railways. Pakistan signed the agreement as part of a plan to upgrade and enhance long-distance passenger services in the country.
“Out of 230 passenger coaches, the first consignment of 40 coaches will arrive in Pakistan by December, which would have the capacity to run at the speed of 160 kilometers per hour,” says Babar Ali Reza, a spokesman for the Pakistan Railways.
پاکستان ریلویز کو چین سے آرڈر کی گئی 230 نئی مسافر کوچز کی پہلی کھیپ دسمبر سے ملنا شروع ہو جائے گی۔ جدید ترین سہولیات سے آراستہ یہ کوچز آرام دہ اور 160 کلومیٹر فی گھنٹہ کی رفتار سے چلنے کے لیے موزوں ہیں۔ pic.twitter.com/03ryy1FOIY
— Pakistan Railways (@PakrailPK) August 28, 2022
Though the spokesman did not share the cost of incoming passenger coaches from China, it was estimated at the time of the contract signing that each economy-class coach would cost $694,000, standard air-conditioned coach $794,000 and an air-conditioned parlour would cost $859,000 upon arrival in Pakistan.
The spokesman said the current maximum speed limit of Pakistani trains was 120 kilometres per hour and the new Chinese coaches would be suitable for higher speed limit after the upgradation of railway tracks.
“The railway tracks at present can accommodate up to 120 kilometres per hour. As the tracks will be gradually upgraded, these coaches can serve long-term purposes and support 160 kilometre per hour,” Reza said, referring to the country’s plan of dualization of the Main Line-1 (ML-1) project.
The $6.8 billion ML-1 project, considered one of the costliest projects in Pakistan’s history, is aimed at upgrading and dualizing the 1,872-kilometre existing track from the southern port city of Karachi till Peshawar in the country’s northwest.
