In major development, Asian Development Bank (ADB) has signed an agreement for Main Line One (ML-1) project, a major railway infrastructure project in Pakistan that is part of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

It involves the upgrading and modernization of Pakistan's existing railway line from Karachi to Peshawar, covering a distance of approximately 1,872 kilometers.

Pakistan Railways official told Gwadar Pro that progress came into play during important meeting among Federal Minister for Pakistan Railways Muhammad Hanif Abbasi, ADB Director General Leah Gutierrez and Defence Secretary Lt Gen Muhammad Ali on 19th December (Friday) in Islamabad.

The meeting was also attended by Secretary Power Division Dr Fakhar Alam Irfan and Director General of the National Logistics Cell, Major General Farrukh Shehzad Rao.

He described ML-1 as the central rail corridor, saying it carries about 80% of passenger traffic and 90% of freight nationwide, and argued that ageing infrastructure requires urgent upgrades.

He revealed that groundbreaking ceremony for the Karachi–Rohri section of ML-1 is planned for July 2026. Earlier, experts from the Asian Development Bank have already carried out on-ground inspections of the Karachi–Rohri section and reviewed existing infrastructure as part of a fact-finding exercise to assess financing options.

ML-1 is aimed at improving Pakistan's rail network, enhancing its speed, capacity, and safety. Once completed, it is expected to play a crucial role in Pakistan's economy by reducing travel time, facilitating faster cargo transport, and promoting regional connectivity.

According to sources, under the revised plan, the project consisted of three phases having a total length of 1,872km. Phase-1, 2, 3 and 4 comprise Karachi-Multan, Multan-Lahore, Lahore-Lalamusa and Lalamusa-Peshawar.

The design speed would be up to 140 km per hour which can be increased to 160 km per hour on the upgraded track once the entire left/right of the track is fenced and some other upgrade work is done completely.

The railway system in Pakistan is more than 100 years old, constructed during the British days. Since the country came into being 76 years back, the performance of railways has gone from bad to worse.

The timeline of passenger trains from Karachi to Peshawar remained 24 hours. Railways also ended up with a loss of hundreds of billions of rupees over the last several decades, Gwadar Pro reported.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP) — Pak-China