Forty high-capacity wagons have been added to the fleet of Pakistan Railways on Wednesday after China fulfilled its promise to equip Pakistan withlocal manufacturing technology.
The wagons, which have been manufactured locally and were unveiled during an inauguration ceremony at the Cantt Railway Station in Lahore, are capable of carrying70 tons of load.
The modern design of the wagons has the ability to move containers from one place to another, said astatement released by Pakistan Railways.
Speaking about the newly-inducted wagons made as per international standards, Pakistan Railways' Chief Executive Officer Amir Ali Baloch said: "Local manufacturing of wagons is a major step towards self-reliance."
Now, the freight train will also be able to run at a speed of 100km per hour, read the statement, adding that 820 such coaches will be inducted into the railway system by the end of financial year 2025-26.
Manufacturing wagons at the local level will save foreign exchange reserves and they will increase the income by more than Rs9 billion every year, mentioned the statement.
The Pakistan Railways spokesperson said that the department has developed wagons of international standards for freight.