ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Minister of State for Finance and Railways Bilal Azhar Kayani on Wednesday pitched multibillion-dollar upgrades of two national rail corridors as central to regional trade and connectivity, telling a global transport summit in Abu Dhabi that modern infrastructure was essential to prosperity.
The Main Line-1 (ML-1), stretching 1,872 kilometers from Karachi to Peshawar, is Pakistan’s busiest passenger and freight artery, while the Main Line-3 (ML-3) links Quetta to Kotri via Jacobabad, serving as a vital route for minerals and regional commerce.
Upgrades to both projects, long on Islamabad’s agenda, are designed to expand freight capacity, shorten travel times and align the rail network with international standards.
“It goes without saying that infrastructure and economic prosperity are intertwined,” Kayani told a ministerial panel on “Building Connected Nations” at the Global Rail Transport Infrastructure Exhibition and Conference organized by Etihad Rail.
“Robust connectivity can unlock growth, create jobs, and strengthen regional integration.”
He said the upgrades would help transform Pakistan’s railway into “an efficient, reliable, and environmentally sustainable backbone of national transport.”
Kayani cited Pakistan’s nationwide motorway construction as an example of how connectivity fuels growth, job creation and integration, and said ML-1 and ML-3 would underpin similar progress in the rail sector.
On the sidelines, he met Etihad Rail CEO Shadi Malak to discuss potential cooperation in freight logistics, technology exchange and network development. He also visited Etihad Rail and Hafeet Rail exhibition stalls to review regional innovations in rail systems.
State broadcaster PTV reported that Kayani separately called on UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed at the Qasr Al Bahr palace, where he conveyed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s greetings and invitation to visit Pakistan. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to deepening bilateral ties.
