LAHORE: The fourth Islamabad-Tehran-Istanbul (ITI) freight train carrying various high-value products in six containers has departed from Pakistan for Turkey.

On the other hand, nine trains carrying rice have reached to Iran via Taftan so far since the resumption of the international freight train operation on December 21 last year.

“The fourth ITI train having composition of three 40-feet long containers first reached at Rohri/Sukkar. Another train having goods in three containers reached from Karachi that were attached with the ITI train,” an official source in Pakistan Railways told Dawn on Saturday. “The train is likely to reach Istanbul via Tehran (Istanbul) by next week,” the official, requesting anonymity, added.

Talking about the goods being exported to Turkey from Pakistan via ITI rail network, he said the products included a huge quantity of pink salt which is not only used in Turkey but also in other European countries.

He said earlier to this, the third train had reached Istanbul from Islamabad last month via Lahore, Khanewal, Bahawalpur, Sukkur, Spenzand, Sibi, Nushki, Taftan (Pakistan) and Zahidan and Tehran (Iran) despite encountering heavy snowfall on its way. The ITI train operation were resumed successfully on Dec 21, 2021, after being latent for nearly a decade,” he added.

The first ITI train had reached Turkey in first week of January followed by another that reached the final destination in last week of the same month. Under an arrangement, before reaching destination, the goods loaded on the train are supposed to be shifted to other wagons compatible with the Iranian and Turkish rail/gauge system.

Published in Dawn, March 20th, 2022