Govt to lay ML-1 Karachi–Rohri foundation stone this fiscal year

Mettis Global reported that Railways Minister Muhammad Hanif Abbasi said the government will place the foundation stone of the Karachi-Rohri stretch of ML-1 within the current fiscal year. The Karachi-Rohri upgrade is estimated to cost around $2.5bn and the target is to complete it in three years. Under the Prime Minister's instructions, work on the 183-kilometre Nawabshah-Rohri portion will get priority.

The minister asked the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to speed up approval of the central investment loan, and said Pakistan wants to keep working with the ADB and other partners to finance the rest of ML-1 from Rohri to Peshawar. The ML-1 upgrade is expected to cut Karachi-Lahore travel by roughly five hours. The project is also expected to raise train speeds, passenger facilities, safety and efficiency across Pakistan Railways.

ADB Vice President Yang met the minister at the ministry, and the two sides discussed ML-1 upgrading, financing, ongoing reforms and the railway's future strategy. Yang praised the reform steps and the minister's efforts, and the ADB reaffirmed its backing for the modernisation and sustainable growth of Pakistan Railways. Mettis Global also noted that the railway is pushing freight capacity alongside passenger services, since rail freight is considered safer and more efficient than road.