LAHORE: As a major breakthrough in national logistics and cargo infrastructure, the Pakistan Railways, in collaboration with a private business group, has launched country’s first reefer freight train aiming to provide more economical and environment friendly freight solutions.

The PR, in association with the Marine Group of Companies, achieved the milestone by operating Pakistan’s first containerized refrigerated train which departed from dry port of Marine International Container Terminal (MICT), Premnagar, Lahore and arrived at Wazir Mansion, Karachi in recent days.

“This intermodal cold chain solution enabled by ‘Pakistan Railways Freight Transportation Company’ (PRFTC), which facilitates the rail infrastructure operated by ‘Pakistan Intermodal Limited’ (PIL) and CMA CGM Pakistan is providing commercial support for this new cold chain corridor,” reads a press release.

Since the past five years PIL is playing a pivotal role in operating containerized freight trains in Pakistan and realising the potential of reefer containers, operated Pakistan’s first ever reefer block train carrying 24 Units -- 40 feet reefers of CMA CGM Pakistan from MICT dry port at Premnagar, Lahore to Wazir Mansion, Karachi and transported the reefer box through PakGo trucking short haul services to Karachi Port.

The new operational phase begins with one train a week with plans for this service to operate 12 trains in a month. Freight trains can minimise the delivery time and reduce emissions to the atmosphere of greenhouse gasses.

On average, railroads are three to four times more fuel efficient than trucks. That means moving freight by rail instead of trucks lowers greenhouse gas emissions by up to 75%, on average.

Published in Dawn, January 12th, 2022