KARACHI: Pakistan Railways after a gap of five years has started Karachi to Lahore bonded carrier service and the first train carrying 72 containers safely reached the destination.
Senior Vice Chairman-north of All Pakistan Customs Agents Association (APCCA), Chaudry Amjad has been the driving force behind the Railways’ bonded carrier service whom with help and cooperation of Minister Railways, Saad Rafiq succeeded in his mission.
The tariff of Pakistan Railway is Rs120,000 for up-down movement of a 40-ft container and Rs60,000 for a 20-ft container.
The Railways’ tariff is much economical than the other bonded carriers including National Logistic Company (NLC) charging Rs140,000 for one-way movement of 40-ft container and Rs85,000-100,000 for one-way movement of 20-ft container in between Karachi port/Port Qasim and Lahore.
It may be mentioned here that Karachi to Lahore is the first phase and soon Pakistan Railway’s bonded Carrier service would be started for the dry ports of Multan, Sialkot, Peshawar, Islamabad will be started.
Chairman APCCA, Shams Burny and senior vice chairman-south said that Railways which was incurring huge losses and the start of bonded-carrier service would be a positive development for the institution.
The office bearers of APCCA said that for the sake of revival of country’s most important institution they would share their business with the Railways as a national responsibility.
Burney said that they would also encourage trading community to take benefit of Pakistan Railways’ infrastructure.
It is pertinent to mention that full-fledged revival of Railways bonded-carrier service would prove to be a safer means of transportation and theft/pilferage of containers would be checked. Moreover, this would reduce the load on the country’s highways.
Pakistan Railways starts bonded-carrier service between Karachi-Lahore
