A new road cargo service and rail link connecting Islamabad with Lanzhou launched by China
A new rail and road cargo service has been launched, linking Islamabad with Lanzhou, capital of northwest China’s Gansu Province.
The first train carrying 30 carriages of mechanical equipment, auto parts and daily necessities left a logistics center Tuesday morning in Lanzhou, bound for Kashgar in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The goods will then be transported to Islamabad by a highway.
Luo Zhe, deputy director with the management committee of the International Land Port of Gansu (Lanzhou), said the 4,500-km trip will take 13 days, around 15 days less than the traditional sea route.
Lup hoped the new service would encourage
“I hope the new rail and road cargo service can set a good example for cooperation between China and Pakistan and encourage more countries and regions to join the Belt and Road Initiative,” Luo said.
This was the second freight train service launched by Gansu in South Asia. In 2016, a rail and road cargo service opened between Lanzhou and Kathmandu, Nepal.
China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is the most significant mega project between the two countries under China’s Belt and Road Initiative.