The official Xinhua agency reports that China and Pakistan have launched a direct rail and sea freight service. Operations were kicked off officially with the first cargo train departing from Yunnan, an inland province in southwest China.
The cargo train left Kunmig, capital of Yunnan, for Karachi on the newly opened route, carrying 500 tonnes of goods.
A representative from the New Silk Road Yunnan Limited clarified that the route will help connect the local businesses with their respective markets, benefiting consumers, suppliers and manufacturers.
The news agency reported that thanks to the new rail, sea freight service’s costs for logistics and transport will be cut in half.
Under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Project (CPEC), Pakistan and China began their initial trade activities. Over a hundred containers arrived at the Sust port in Hunza, thanks to these trades.
The CPEC’s main purpose is to transport goods for trade purposes between China and Pakistan. It consists of a network of roads, railways and pipelines to transport and trade oil and gas from Gwadar Port to Kasghar city, which is situated in northwestern China’s Xinjiang Uygur region.
This network covers a distance of 3,000 kilometres.
The CPEC will act as a bridge for the new Maritime Silk Route that will link and connect 3 billion people in Asia, Europe and Africa. This was proposed by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang during his visit to Pakistan back in May 2013.
An agreement for the sake of carrying out all those operations was signed in May this year, during the visit of the Chinese President Xi Jinping.
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Does a rail network exists in Pakistan from Chinese border further south till Peshawar or any other Pakistani city up north?
Not that i know of. There is however a route going through Karakoram Highway by road. It goes all the way to Kashgar in China.