First Consignment of High-Capacity Flat Wagons Arrives in Pakistan from China

Pakistan Railways (PR) is set to receive its first consignment of entirely built units (CBUs) of 70 high-capacity flat wagons from China on Monday, January 24th. The shipment, which was dispatched on December 25th by the Chinese firm, will reach Karachi port on Monday. These flat wagons will be used for the transportation of various goods to various parts of the country from Lahore, Karachi, and other major stations.

According to the contract, the Chinese firm is responsible for manufacturing 200 CBUs, including 70 flat, 70 open-top, and 40 covered wagons, as well as 20 brake vans. The PR is procuring 800 high-capacity wagons and 20 brake vans in total. A letter of credit was opened in March last year.

The contract stipulates that 600 wagons will be manufactured in Pakistan at various carriage factories of Pakistan Railways in association with the Chinese engineer. The arrival of 46 modern high-speed coaches from China on November 27th, 2022, paved the way for the provision of state-of-the-art travelling facilities for the masses. Arrangements have also been made to start manufacturing 184 similar coaches (passenger, luggage, and brake vans) under the technology-transfer component of the 230 coaches’ purchase contract.

Since the test run of these coaches has recently been completed, the PR has started using them in various express trains on the main-line reportedly. Modern train coaches and wagons can run at speeds of 160km and 80km per hour. In November 2021, the federal government signed an agreement with China Railway Construction Corporation Tangshan Locomotive and Rolling Stock Company for the supply of 230 high-speed coaches for PR.

Another contract was also signed with another company to provide 820 wagons, said an official source in the PR. A spokesman for the department says that the remaining 130 CBUs of wagons would be received by the end of March this year.

The manufacturing of the 620 wagons under the technology transfer component of the contract will help Pakistan save its foreign reserves. The new wagons would earn a revenue of Rs1.5 billion per annum. The new wagons can run at a speed of 80km and 100km per hour with 60-tonne and 70-tonne loads, respectively.