Cargo will travel by train from Russia to Pakistan

During the meeting of the Russian-Pakistani Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic and Scientific and Technical Cooperation, the Pakistani side proposed to conduct a test shipment of cargo by MTK North-South to the port of Karachi. 

For delivery, it is proposed to use the eastern branch of the corridor, which runs through the territory of Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Iran, participants in the event said. The question of a test launch of container convoys in the opposite direction was also discussed. According to the press service of Russian Ministry of Transport, this was said by the head of the department Roman Starowoit and co-chair of the Russian-Pakistani intergovernmental commission - Pakistan’s energy minister Sardar Awais Legari.

The representative of Pakistan also reported that the Russian side is considering investing in upgrading the Kweta-Taftan railway, which connects the country’s central areas with the Iran-Pakistan border and could be used to transport goods through MTK North-South. The Pakistani press estimates that the investment in the project could be $550-660 million.

«We have long talked about the need to scale MTK North-South and involve interested countries in participation», - said the head of the international cooperation and logistics department of NATO «Directorate of International Transport Corridors» Natalia Zadonskaya. The issue requires further work on both sides, but there is potential interest in using this route by Russian companies.

«Rolling» the east branch of the North-South corridor is JSC «RZD Logistics». Cooperation with Pakistan will significantly reduce transit transport times, as well as increase the turnover of goods between our countries, explained e.g. the CEO of the company Oleg Poleev.

According to him, work has already started in this direction. During high-level negotiations with the participation of representatives of JSC «RZD», JSC «RZD Logistics», «Pakistan Railways» and the Iranian side, an agreement on the definition of a potential cargo base was reached.

The basis will be existing multimodal services, implemented by «RZD Logistics» at MTK North-South. - Planned to conduct test rail shipments in 2025.

Interest is the transport of cereals, consumer goods and metals. «These categories can provide a stable load of the route and fill potential markets», - said Oleg Poleev.

He noted that the port of Karachi could become a convenient hub for multimodal transport due to its geographical location and developed infrastructure. The use of Karachi within the framework of MTK North-South strengthens the interaction of the countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and supports the development of transport integration in the region.