overview
The Orange Line is Pakistan's first metro train and now spans 27.1 km of tracks catering to 250,000+ passengers daily. Being both a CPEC project and a national asset, this project was a series of moving parts that required capable handling of the complex, multi-modal logistics and that is exactly where Sinotrans stepped in. In addition to general containerized cargo, the expert projects team at Sinotrans was required to overlook the complete transportation of the tracks - each being 26 meters long - along with passenger bogies and locomotives which were over-dimension. The discharging bogies from the vessel were brought in directly on trailers to avoid extra handling and costs. Each bogie was marked in China at the time of loading to ensure the correct order in which they were to be delivered. As always, time was a pressing concern, and specialists were required to precisely coordinate the journey from Port Qasim to Lahore, paying special attention to security and transport technicalities due to the size and fragility of the cargo.
Challenge
The biggest challenge was to ensure that every component was cleared from the port and delivered, safely and securely to Lahore, from the length of track to the over-dimension bogies and locomotives. Since this project was also a political highlight within the country, safety of the cargo was a pressing concern. The length of bogies and locomotives was extremely challenging, especially when transporting while adhering to the city limits of Karachi and Lahore. The placement of bogies and locomotives was also under Sinotrans’ scope, along with close coordination with the client as the order in which the cargo was meant to be placed on the tracks was highly essential.
Solution
Global suppliers trust Sinotrans’ ability to deliver because of the commitment to go the extra mile and deliver in every sense of the word. The more than capable team was able to import the specialized extendable trailers, transport the tracks and low bed extendable trailers and transport the bogies and locomotives. Coupled with general cargo, the combined weight of the loads was 52,680 freight tons, all successfully handled by Sinotrans’ experts. The team also provided specialized security to each bogie through high-priority escorting vans throughout the journey, ensuring safety while providing the client complete peace of mind.
