PM Shehbaz directs fast-tracking of ML-1 upgrade

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has asked officials to accelerate the ML-1 railway upgrade, according to Mettis Global. He has also cleared the use of railway land, valued at billions of rupees, to secure bank financing for construction through commercial projects. Pakistan Railways is to receive corporate-style reforms, with a detailed plan due within two weeks on the land's true commercial value.

The directives were issued during a meeting in Islamabad on railway reforms and the ML-1 project, attended by federal ministers and senior officials including the State Bank governor and the NAB chairman. Shehbaz praised the NAB and railway ministry teams for recovering encroached railway land. He described the modernisation as essential for better passenger services and greater freight capacity, and said it should be executed on commercial terms.

The meeting heard that the 1,726-kilometre upgrade is split into four sections: Karachi-Rohri, Rohri-Multan, Multan-Lahore and Lahore-Peshawar. International funding currently covers the Karachi-Rohri stretch, while domestic resources are being planned for the other three.