70 brand-new freight train waggons will be delivered to Pakistan Railways (PR) today. By March 2023, 130 new carriage vans will be included into the system, according to a PR spokeswoman. He claimed that introducing new waggons to the system would increase PR’s interest in the use of trains for the transfer of merchandise.
A spokeswoman stated that Pakistan will produce 620 comparable waggons domestically as part of the technology transfer arrangement. The department will be able to save money this way while also adding jobs.
After a two-week inspection tour, it was found a few weeks ago that the PR had purchased new bogies from China for $149 million. However, the bogies were discovered to be non-operational because of defective brakes once they arrived in Pakistan.
According to a media source, the government dispatched 88 Pakistan Railways (PR) employees to China to examine the bogies. But throughout a two-week stay, nobody could identify this crucial mechanical flaw.
Salman Sadiq Shaikh, the CEO of Pakistan Railways, later commented on this story by saying:
”The Pakistan Railways’ system is completely compatible with these passenger coaches. The new coaches were cleared to operate on a trial basis after being extensively examined and deprocessed. Following a successful trial, all coaches are now prepared to compete. Through transparent competitive bidding, we were able to purchase these bogies from a well-known manufacturer worldwide. These coaches have a two-year warranty period, and for the first six months of their use, Chinese industry professionals will be in charge.
The new carriages were created with consideration for both international safety and railroad standards. Our officers and other staff members travelled to China for training because the agreement with the company also included a clause for the transfer of technology. After the training, we would be able to produce these coaches right here in Pakistan.”
