As many as 115 flat wagons are being collected in Complete Knocked Down (CKD) form in a factory in Lahore with plans for them to roll out in April this year.
These wagons are part of a larger order of 620 freight wagons being jointly formed by Pakistan Railways and the Chinese company Baotou Beifang Chuangye Co., Ltd.
“Once all 620 freight wagons are fully operational, they will double the current railway transportation capacity,” said Philippe Mi, the Chinese project director for the 820 High-Capacity Wagon (HCW) project, in an interview with China Economic Net (CEN).
In 2021, Beifang Chuangye won a contract to supply 820 high-capacity railway freight wagons to Pakistan Railways, with four types of vehicles: open-top wagons, flat wagons, covered wagons, and cabooses. By 2022, 200 wagons were brought and put into operation.
In 2024, 115 high-capacity open-top wagons, assembled in semi-knocked-down (SKD) form at the Risalpur factory, were arranged on key freight routes connecting Karachi Port to inland destinations.
This not only increased transportation capacity but also eased the pressure on Karachi Port’s warehousing operations.
“This initiative will bring significant economic benefits to Pakistan, marking a crucial step toward reducing import need and promoting local industries” said Aamir Baloch, CEO of Pakistan Railways, admiring the local production of railway freight wagons.
It’s a major jump to economic self-sufficiency and the start of a new era in freight transportation in Pakistan.
The standardized design of the wagons ensures compatibility and consistency across different models, helping reduce operational and maintenance costs for Pakistan Railways.
Ishaq Butt, the Pakistani Project Director for the 820HCW project, emphasized the importance of this proficiency, particularly in a country where infrastructure development is a key priority.
The production process also created around 450 direct jobs. ”This local production project has skilled many young technicians and skilled workers for our railway department, significantly increasing our manufacturing capabilities and satisfying them for the future”, said Ishaq Butt.
Beifang Chuangye has provided both theoretic training and hands-on support in setting up the wagon assembly lines in Lahore and Risalpur.
Their assistance covers personnel training, equipment upgrades, inventory management, and process planning, quality control, and system development, ensuring a complete development of the factories.
