LAHORE: Technology transferred by China has enabled Pakistan to locally manufacture the modern high speed passenger coaches and high-capacity goods’ wagons locally, ending dependence of the Pakistan Railways (PR) to import rolling stock from abroad.

Under technology-transfer contract, China has built capacity of the PR’s engineers, technical staff etc who have succeeded manufacturing as many as 400 latest modern goods wagons here at the Mughalpura workshop, Dawn has learnt.

“It is a matter of immense pleasure for the nation that the PR now possess latest technology to manufacture passenger coaches and freight/goods wagons at our Carriage Factory of Islamabad and Mughalpura workshop in Lahore respectively,” the PR’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Amir Ali Baloch said while talking to Dawn after an e-open court here on Monday.

“So far we have manufactured as many as 400 wagons. Another 220 wagons would also be manufactured locally at our Mughalpura workshop under the technology transfer contract,” he said. China has also declared fit the wagons manufactured by Pakistan under the technology-transfer agreement.

Under $140 million contract signed in 2020 or so, a Chinese company had been assigned the task to manufacture 230 state-of-the-art passenger coaches, of which 46 were provided as completely built units and the remaining 184 are to be manufactured in Pakistan by the PR engineers and technical staff under supervision of the Chinese experts at the Carriage Factory Islamabad (CSI). Under another similar nature contract, another Chinese firm was assigned to manufacture 800 freight wagons and 20 brake wagons.

The 200 wagons were provided to PR as CBU while the remaining 620 were to be manufactured at the PR’s Lahore Mughalpura workshop under technology-transfer component of the contract. For the coaches and wagons planned to be manufactured in Pakistan, the Chinese firms are responsible to provide spare parts, raw materials etc. The 46 coaches and 200 wagons (CBUs) were received to PR at Karachi port in the last and first quarters of 2022 and 2023 respectively.

The CEO said the design speed of the 46 coaches’ CBUs is 160km per hour whereas the coaches planned to manufactured from next year would also have same design speed. Likewise the high capacity 200 wagons’ CBUs and 400 manufactured locally are 8-wheeler—double in size to the obsolete four-wheeler model wagons. The new wagons’ design speed is also more than the old ones.

“The manufacturing of the coaches would start at CFI by first week of February as the machines have been installed with provision of raw material and spare parts from China,” Mr Baloch added.

Earlier while responding to queries raised by the people in an e-open court, the PR chief said that providing enhanced travel facilities to passengers remains the top priority of Pakistan Railways.

“It is encouraging to note that Pakistan Railways now possesses modern technology, enabling the production of new coaches locally. This achievement will eliminate the need for importing coaches from abroad,” he remarked.

He shared that the pr restored the operations of the Bolan Express within just 45 days using its own resources. He also highlighted that railway tracks and bridges damaged by recent rains are being repaired entirely with internal resources. He revealed that a new train, modeled on the Green Line service, would soon be launched between Lahore and Karachi. And additionally, a phased plan to upgrade all coaches is also underway.

The CEO also issued immediate directives to the relevant divisional superintendents to improve facilities at stations such as Padidan and Sialkot, including the provision of clean drinking water, increasing the number of benches, and enhancing other amenities.

Published in Dawn, December 24th, 2024