TEHRAN- Iran and Pakistan agreed to revive passenger train service between Iran’s Zahedan in south eastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan and Pakistan’s Quetta in Balochistan till mid-September 2018, IRNA reported on Thursday.

During a two-day meeting held to collaborate on Iran-Pakistan railway transportation joint committee at the place of Pakistan Ministry of Railways, the two sides agreed on revival of the named railway when security situations are improved in Pakistan.

The meeting was headed by Head of Zahedan Railways Majid Arjouni and Pakistan's Railways Board Secretary Zubair Shafi Ghauri.

The passenger train service will be developed between Quetta and Iranian cities of Mashhad or Qom, and will largely cater to the needs of pilgrims during Muharram.

Earlier, an international mixed passenger and freight service used to be operated twice a month by the Pakistan Railways between Quetta and Zahedan. The train service, named after the Iranian city, used to run on the first and fifteenth day of every month from Quetta to Zahedan and the third and seventeenth of each month from Zahedan to Quetta. It used to take 33 hours to cover a distance of 732km along the entire stretch of the Quetta-Taftan railway line.

Revision of the 1959 agreement between Pakistan Railways and Iranian Railways was also under consideration in this meeting, the report confirmed.
 
HJ/MA