{"id":236514,"date":"2025-06-16T18:07:05","date_gmt":"2025-06-16T08:07:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.railfreight.com\/?p=63213"},"modified":"2025-06-16T18:07:05","modified_gmt":"2025-06-16T08:07:05","slug":"pakistan-and-russia-plan-first-container-train-for-next-week","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=236514","title":{"rendered":"Pakistan and Russia plan first container train for next week"},"content":{"rendered":"

Pakistan is planning to send the first container train to Russia on 22 June. It is not quite the first such announcement. Earlier, the two countries planned to launch rail freight trails in March and April. Will it work this time?<\/strong>
\n<\/span>If the project works out, and that is a big if, Pakistan would get a functioning connection not only to Russia, but also to various Central Asian countries. \u201cWe are not just building a railway, but an economic corridor\u201d, commented Pakistan\u2019s rail minister.<\/p>\n

The train will travel from Pakistan into Iran, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan, a route that is also known as the eastern branch of the International North – South Transport Corridor (INSTC). From Kazakhstan, it will make its way to Russia. The total length of the route is around 8,000 kilometres and takes 20 to 25 days to cross in its entirety.<\/p>\n

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\"This<\/p>\n

This image shows the eastern branch of the INSTC in green. Image: Telegram. \u00a9 Russian Railways<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Third attempt<\/h2>\n

The project has been postponed numerous times already. First, Pakistan planned to send the container train on its way in March, then in April, and now in late June. However, a tangible plan seems to be on the table for a June departure: 15 to 16 TEU of Pakistani exports, amounting to 500,000 tonnes, according to Chinese publication Xinhua.<\/p>\n