The first freight train with 1,500 tonnes coal was dispatched on Sunday from Port Qasim to Yousaf Wala Power Plant in Sahiwal, said Nasir Nazeer, DCO Railways Karachi Division.

He told APP that the freight train, which has 25 waggons, left Karachi at 6.00am and would reach Yousaf Wala in 32 hours.

He pointed out that the 4000-horse power engines imported from the United States have been put into operation, and this freight train is being operated with the same locomotive.

The DCO informed that the Pakistan Railways would initially dispatch two trains daily with 3,000 tonnes coal, adding that the number of trains would be increased up to five per day in the next few days. These trains would be dispatched with total 12,000 tonnes coal daily, he added.