Islamabad..Tehran..Istanbul Train Service

 

Pakistan, Turkey and Iran have agreed to restore rail service from Islamabad to Tehran and then to Istanbul. Under the current agreement, the cargo rail service will run regularly from next year. It may be recalled that this service was started in 2009 but this year no train could run on this route due to which these three countries have agreed to restore it in 2021. Bilal Pasha, Pakistan's consulate general in Turkey, told the BBC that the service had been dubbed as the ITI container train. According to Consulate General Bilal Pasha, the decision to revive the project was made during an online meeting two weeks ago. According to Bilal Pasha, the three countries presented their respective reports on the train service and mentioned the problems and difficulties related to the service. It has also been agreed to provide technical assistance to each other. It was decided at the meeting that despite the problems, the service that is currently available should be run regularly and then later it should be improved and made faster. What kind of problems is this train facing at the moment and how successful has it been in achieving its goals? How ready is Pakistan to run this service and what are the motives behind its restoration? The BBC has spoken to Pakistani officials, experts and business representatives to find out the answers to these questions, but before discussing this in detail, it is important to look at the historical background of this container train service. Most recently, the train service was inaugurated in 2009. It was named the Gold Train Service. Since then, from time to time, this train remained active between the three countries until 2019. In 2020, the service was completely suspended. The service was launched in 2009 following an agreement reached between former Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, Iranian President Ahmadinejad and Turkish President Abdullah Gul. Pakistani officials believed that the train would open the way for Pakistan to Central Asia and Europe, which would lead to better trade relations between the two countries. The commitment to run a passenger train after the cargo train was also expressed. The distance from Islamabad to Istanbul is about six and a half thousand kilometers. According to Pakistan's Consulate General in Turkey, the concept of this train dates back to 1960-1970 and in the past it was called 'RCD train'. When the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) was formed in 1985, the train was renamed the New Alliance. When more countries joined the alliance in 1992, the idea came up that the train should now be extended to other countries. The project will also connect all ten countries by road and rail. According to Bilal Pasha, CPEC is now a new addition. According to the Consulate General, Turkey has expertise in land travel. Turkey has also started train service to China. According to him, the train, which he himself attended this month's inauguration, has reached China in just 12 days from Turkey via Tehran, then Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. According to him, the second train left Turkey for China on December 21 with 35 containers. According to him, the rent for a container is 1,500$. According to Pakistani officials, the business community has expressed interest in the train as the cost of the container service will be lower and goods will be delivered to European markets in less time. There is a huge demand for urea and rice from Pakistan. Similarly, scrap is also sent out of Pakistan. Pakistan imports sanitary ware, tiles and hardware items from these countries. Dr. Ashfaq Hassan is an economist. He said that it was a good thing that the three countries had come closer to increase trade volume which was definitely in Pakistan's interest. According to him, the problems are solved but it is important that there is some progress. In his view, the plan is still a form of RCD alliance, in which the three countries seem to agree to expand their ties.