With help from China, Pakistan has started domestic production of high-speed passenger coaches and goods wagons.

This achievement follows a successful technology transfer agreement with China, according to Pakistan Railways (PR).

The advanced manufacturing process is underway at PR’s workshops in Islamabad and Lahore, where Chinese experts have played a key role in enhancing the technical skills of Pakistani engineers and technicians. This transfer of knowledge has enabled Pakistan to produce modern rail components independently.

The Pakistan Railways Carriage Factory in Islamabad has been tasked with assembling 184 state-of-the-art passenger coaches over the next three years. This initiative is expected to significantly improve the quality and capacity of the country’s rail transport system.

The project is part of a broader effort to modernize Pakistan’s infrastructure under the multi-billion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Recent developments in rail, road, and economic zone projects were highlighted during a meeting last month between Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Jiang Zaidong and Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal.

China is also playing a key role in upgrading and dualizing Pakistan’s Main Line-1 (ML-1) railway track. Spanning 1,872 kilometers from Karachi to Peshawar, the ML-1 was originally constructed in the late 19th century. The $6.8 billion modernization project aims to transform this critical corridor into a high-speed, dual-track railway system.