Lahore:
The departure of the first freight train from the Pakistani railways to Russia was canceled due to the regional instability launched by the current Iran-Israeli conflict, rail sources confirmed on Friday.
The cargo train was to start from Lahore on June 22 (Sunday), but was postponed indefinitely due to border closures between Pakistan, Iran and other transit countries affected by the conflict.
According to public relations officials, the freight train was intended to be the first of its kind, aimed at traveling from Lahore to the Russian city of Astrakhan.
The train was to leave with sixteen freight wagons loaded with a variety of goods intended for Russia, with plans to increase the number of containers to thirty and finally fifty in progressive operations.
The launch of the freight train was part of the broader public relations strategy to strengthen commercial connectivity between South Asia and Central Asia, facilitating exports and imports from Russia, Turkmenistan and Direct Kazakhstan.
“Due to the Iran-Israel conflict and related security risks, the train cannot be sent at the time. It will only leave the war ended and that the situation stabilizes,” rail sources said.
The proposed route of the freight train included transit through Iran, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan before reaching Russia.
The commercial corridor should not only allow Pakistani exports, but also goods from Russia and the countries of Central Asia such as Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan.
