LAHORE: Contractors interested in submitting bids to operate four cargo express trains from as many destinations to Karachi have appealed to the Pakistan Railways (PR) administration to extend the closing date of tenders.

The marketing wing of the PR had on Dec 16 invited tenders through advertisements in national dailies to outsource four cargo express trains to be operated under public-private partnership from Faisalabad, Sialkot, Peshawar and Sukkur to Karachi.

Initially, the PR planned to operate cargo express trains twice a week from Peshawar, Sialkot and Rohri, while thrice a week from Faisalabad to Karachi. Later, the trains might be run daily, subject to availability of cargo.

The bidding documents under single-stage two-envelop procedure of PPRA rules could be submitted by 10:30am on Dec 30 and the technical documents would be opened half an hour later in the presence of contractors or their designated representatives.

Contractors said bid documents had not been issued to them so far. They argued that filing of documents required time and it would not be possible for them to submit them by the given deadline.

An official of the PR marketing wing told Dawn that bid documents were being finalised and would be available on Monday (today).

Published in Dawn, December 22th, 2014