Russia and Pakistan are pushing forward with plans to launch their first direct freight rail services, connecting Moscow with the Pakistani cities of Faisalabad and Karachi, according to Russia’s ambassador to Islamabad.

In an interview with Russian newspaper Izvestia, Ambassador Albert Khorev said the two nations are coordinating with regional partners to establish cargo routes running in both directions along the Moscow-Faisalabad and Moscow-Karachi corridors. Belarus is also being considered as a potential participant in the proposed rail network, he added.

The initiative has weathered repeated setbacks, which Khorev attributed to heightened geopolitical turbulence across the region through 2025 and early 2026. Despite the delays, the parties are now closing in on a formal agreement to govern freight operations and are identifying companies along the planned routes that have expressed interest in moving goods through the corridor.

If realized, the rail link would open a new overland artery for commercial cargo between the two countries, though Khorev stopped short of offering a timeline for when the first trains might roll.