LAHORE:
The departure of the first Pakistan Railways cargo train to Russia has been canceled due to regional instability caused by the ongoing conflict of Iran-Israel, the railway sources confirmed on Friday.
The cargo train was scheduled to start on June 22 (Sunday), but it has postponed indefinitely due to border closures between Pakistan, Iran and other transit countries affected by the conflict.
According to public relations officials, the cargo train intended to be the first of its kind, with the aim of traveling from Lahore to the Russian city of Astrakhan.
The train would be left with sixteen cargo wagons loaded with a variety of products for Russia, with plans to increase the number of containers to thirty and finally fifty in stages operations.
The launch of the loading train was part of the broader strategy of public relations to strengthen commercial connectivity between South Asia and Central Asia, facilitating the exports and direct imports of Overland with Russia, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan.
“Due to the Iran-Israel conflict and related security risks, the train cannot be sent at this time. It will only start once the war is over and the situation stabilizes,” rail sources said.
The proposed cargo train included traffic through Iran, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan before arriving in Russia.
The commercial corridor was expected not only to allow Pakistani exports, but also to bring goods from Russia and countries in Central Asia such as Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan.
