Pakistan will import 75 railway locomotives from Iran, the country's railway minister said Saturday.

Sheikh Rashid told Iranian Ambassador Masha Allah Shakiri that Pakistan would send railway officials to Iran to look into Pakistani needs in the field of railways.

The News Network International quoted Rashid as saying that Iran had a big potential in the field of railway and his country would get benefit of the Iranian expertise.

Rashid said that Pakistan wanted to further improve train service ahead of the upcoming parliamentary elections, scheduled to be held early next year.

Referring to the rail links between the Pakistani south-western city of Quetta and the Iranian city of Zahida, Rashid said that it was a sign of bilateral relations and regional stability.

He said that the proposed multi-billion Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline could also be laid near the rail track, adding that the rail link had made the gas pipeline easy.

Rashid said that Iran could help Pakistan establish some plants to manufacture locomotives in Pakistan. He referred to the statement of Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf that Pakistan wanted to bring the railways system at par with the international standard. He said that high technology in Iran could help Pakistan in the field.

Shakiri said that the level of economic relations between the two countries was not up to the mark. He said that enhanced railway and air links could help both countries use economic potential.

He said that Iran had seen unprecedented development and rehabilitation of transport links and roads in Iran after the Islamic revolution.

The Iranian ambassador invited Rashid to visit Iran to see Iran 's capability in railways.

Source: Xinhua