LAHORE:
The departure of Pakistan Railways’ first freight train to Russia has been cancelled due to regional instability triggered by the ongoing Iran-Israel conflict, railway sources confirmed on Friday.
The cargo train was scheduled to depart from Lahore on June 22 (Sunday) but has been postponed indefinitely due to border closures between Pakistan, Iran and other transit countries affected by the conflict.
According to PR officials, the freight train was intended to be the first of its kind, aiming to travel from Lahore to the Russian city of Astrakhan.
The train was to depart with sixteen freight wagons loaded with a variety of goods destined for Russia, with plans to increase the number of containers to thirty and eventually fifty in phased operations.
The launch of the cargo train was part of PR’s broader strategy to strengthen trade connectivity between South Asia and Central Asia, facilitating direct overland exports and imports with Russia, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan.
“Due to the Iran-Israel conflict and related security risks, the train cannot be dispatched at this time. It will only depart once the war ends and the situation stabilises,” railway sources said.
The proposed route of the freight train included transit through Iran, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan before reaching Russia.
The trade corridor was expected not only to enable Pakistani exports but also to bring in goods from Russia and Central Asian countries such as Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan.
