Bangladesh eyes Pakistan railways for wagons and coaches as cost advantage draws Dhaka’s interest

Bangladesh has shown interest in purchasing freight wagons and passenger coaches from Pakistan Railways, citing the cost competitiveness of Pakistan’s rolling stock compared with international suppliers, officials said.

A Bangladeshi delegation led by Farhad Islam, Secretary for International Organisations and Consular Affairs and Designate D-8 Commissioner, along with High Commissioner Mohammad Iqbal Hussain Khan, recently visited Pakistan Railways’ Mughalpura Workshop in Lahore and the carriage factory in Islamabad to assess manufacturing capabilities.

During the visit, Chief Mechanical Engineer (Carriage and Wagons) Muhammad Nasir Khalili briefed the delegation on the workshops’ technical capacity, operational framework, and ongoing projects. The officials were also shown a documentary on Pakistan Railways’ manufacturing and maintenance infrastructure and taken on a guided tour of the Mughalpura Locomotive Workshop to observe locomotive rehabilitation and production processes.

The Bangladeshi diplomats described the visit as productive and encouraging, praising Pakistan Railways’ technical expertise and professional standards. Islam said the tour reflected strengthening bilateral cooperation and potential for deeper collaboration in the railway sector.

Railways Minister Hanif Abbasi said Pakistan aimed to expand railway-to-railway cooperation with Bangladesh, highlighting potential mutual benefits. He noted that Pakistan Railways is already exporting coaches and wagons to Sri Lanka, Nepal, Chile, and Argentina, calling the exports evidence of Pakistan’s indigenous manufacturing capability.

Khalili said Bangladeshi railway experts would return for a detailed technical evaluation in the next phase. He added that Pakistan had previously supplied rolling stock to Bangladesh in the 1980s and exported freight wagons to Sri Lanka in 1999, 2000, and 2009.

In the current regional procurement landscape, Pakistan is positioning itself as a cost-effective alternative supplier for Bangladesh, which had earlier been negotiating with India for wagons and coaches, he said.