ISLAMABAD (February 25 2009): Pakistan, Iran and Turkey are likely to ink an agreement to establish railway link, connecting the three countries, for which the Railways Ministers will meet in Tehran next week to discuss the modalities of this mega project.
The three countries are looking at initiating passenger and freight railway services, linking the three capitals, well placed sources in the Railways Ministry told Business Recorder here on Tuesday. They revealed that a trilateral Railway Ministers meeting is scheduled to be held in Tehran on March 1. Federal Minister for Railways Haji Ghulam Ahmad Bilour will represent Pakistan.
Sources said that Director General Saeed Akhtar and Operations Director of Pakistan Railways Shafiqullah Khan have reached Tehran to participate in the high level experts group (LEG) meeting scheduled on February 27 and 28 prior to the ministers' meeting. They said that the experts of the three countries would finalise the rolling of internal container freight and train from Istanbul, Tehran and Islamabad.
Sources added that after the ministerial conference, a summit meeting of the heads of state of the ECO countries would be held tentatively during second week of March. They said the ECO had been successful in promoting multi-dimensional regional co-operation and creating proper conditions for sustainable socio-economic growth and development.
They further said that ECO had been trying to expedite implementation of its goals and objectives to materialise operation of the ECO container train on Istanbul-Tehran-Islamabad route. They revealed that the expert group's meeting and a meeting of the concerned ministers would discuss technical, operational and other aspects of this important project.
