ISLAMABAD, Feb 19: The government on Monday awarded contract to an international consortium to carry out feasibility study for establishing a rail link with China which will boost bilateral trade relations, promote tourism and generate employment opportunities particularly in the Northern Areas.

The Ingenieurgemeinschaft Lasser-Feizlmayr (ILF), a consortium of consultant engineers from Austria, Germany and Pakistan is to submit its report to the ministry of railways in nine months.

The Rs72 million contract was signed by Asad Rauf, general manager (operations) Pakistan Railways, and Aneesur Rehman, ILF managing director on behalf of their respective sides.

The feasibility study will cover a length of 750 kilometres between Havellian and the 4,730 metres high Khunjerab crossing over Mansehra and the Karakoram Highway.

Havellian is already linked with the rest of the rail network, while the Chinese railways will lay track within its territory up to Khunjerab linking Pakistan with its rail network. It is most likely that the distance between Havellian and Khunjerab would involve construction of tunnels. The ILF services encompass both the construction of new high-speed railway lines and the modernisation of existing lines for standard gauge and narrow gauge railways in addition to tunnels.—A Reporter