Islamabad: Russia and Pakistan are working to launch their first freight rail services connecting Moscow with Karachi and Faisalabad, with Belarus also being considered as a potential participant, Russian Ambassador to Pakistan Albert Khorev has said.
In an interview with Russian news agency Izvestia published on August 8, Khorev said the two countries were working to establish freight services in both directions on the proposed Moscow-Karachi and Moscow-Faisalabad routes.
“We are collaborating with our Pakistani partners to launch the first freight rail service in both directions on the Moscow–Faisalabad and Moscow–Karachi routes. The possibility of involving Belarus in this project is also being considered,” Khorev said.
The ambassador said the project had faced repeated delays during 2025 and the early months of 2026 due to heightened geopolitical tensions in the region.
He said the parties were currently finalising an agreement on freight-related services and identifying companies in the countries along the proposed routes that were interested in transporting commercial goods through the planned rail corridor.
If established, the proposed services would create a land-based freight connection between Russia and Pakistan, potentially expanding trade and transport links between the two countries.
Pakistan and Russia have maintained diplomatic relations since May 1, 1948, with bilateral cooperation gradually expanding beyond their historical geopolitical differences to include trade, energy, infrastructure and other areas.
The proposed rail connectivity also comes amid broader efforts to strengthen economic ties between the two countries. Pakistan Railways has previously explored the revival of international freight connectivity between Karachi and Moscow via Iran, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan.
Separately, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Overchuk said on August 6 that negotiations between the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and Pakistan on a potential free trade agreement were progressing.
“Our expert group has already held joint consultations with Pakistan,” Overchuk said on the sidelines of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council meeting, adding that formal negotiations on establishing a free trade zone were expected to begin in the near future.
The proposed freight rail links could provide an additional transport route for commercial goods between Pakistan and Russia, although the services are still at the planning and agreement stage and no launch date has been announced.
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