The National Logistic Cell (NLC), with the collaboration of Pakistan Railways (PR), is all set to launch freight train service from Karachi to other cities of the country. The NLC would import 10 locomotives from South Korea and use these locomotives for rolling stock of Pakistan Railways, an official said on Monday. In this regard, an agreement between Ministry of Railways and the NLC has already been signed, adding that the NLC would operate goods trains under public-private partnership. He said that the NLC is the first department that would purchase locomotives for operating any train. Some passenger trains including Business Express, Shalimar and others were operating under public-public partnership but all the parties were using locomotives, passenger wagons and rolling stock provided by Pakistan Railways. The official said that the railways was facing crisis owing to shortage of locomotives, adding that out of around 500 locomotives only 140 locomotives were in working condition. He said that the Pakistan Railways has allocated around ten locomotives for freight trains and only one train was running on daily basis.
