KARACHI: Pakistan said on Saturday its long-delayed flagship Main Line-1 railway upgrade could begin this year, as authorities set new deadlines for preparatory work on the Karachi-Rohri section after years of financing and cost issues stalled one of the country’s biggest transport projects.
ML-1 is Pakistan’s main railway artery, stretching from the southern port city of Karachi to Peshawar in the northwest and carrying nearly 80 percent of the country’s passenger traffic and 90 percent of its freight.
Originally conceived as a flagship project under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), its upgrade has been repeatedly delayed amid financing and cost negotiations, with Islamabad now working with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to advance the 480-km Karachi-Rohri section.
“In view of the progress made so far, the prospects for the commencement of Pakistan Railways’ flagship ML-1 project this year are bright,” Railways Minister Muhammad Hanif Abbasi said, according to an official statement.
His comments followed a meeting chaired by Pakistan Railways Chairman Syed Mazhar Ali Shah in Lahore, where international design and review consultants and senior railway officials assessed preparations for upgrading the Karachi-Rohri section.
Shah directed officials to complete the review phase by Oct. 30 and monitor progress weekly, the statement said, adding that a second phase of market consultations with experts and other stakeholders will begin on Sept. 8.
Islamabad has increasingly sought to advance the project in phases, with the Karachi-Rohri stretch serving as the starting section.
Abbasi said upgrading ML-1 would increase train speeds, improve passenger facilities and enhance the overall performance of Pakistan Railways.
“ML-1 is the foundation for the development and modernization of Pakistan Railways and for meeting future requirements,” he said, according to the statement.
