Private sector poised to run Cargo Express

Farooq Yousaf Sheikh, president of the Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FCCI), has welcomed Pakistan Railways' decision to place the commercial management of its Cargo Express service in private hands, according to The Express Tribune. In a statement on Saturday, he asked the railway authorities to add Faisalabad to the proposed train route to support the city's growing trade needs. He argued that the industrial and export-focused city should be connected so local traders could gain from faster, rail-based freight.

Under the arrangement described, the Cargo Express trains numbered 505 Up and 506 Down would run between Karachi and Rawalpindi/Peshawar. A pre-bid meeting is scheduled for October 15, while prequalification applications must be submitted by October 22.