Fund ML-1 partly via railway land commercialisation, says PM Shehbaz

Prime Minister Shehbaz has proposed financing part of the Main Line-1 (ML-1) upgrade by commercially developing railway land worth billions of rupees, Business Recorder reported. The proposal emerged from a review session in Islamabad, chaired by the premier, on reforms within Pakistan Railways. During the session he pressed officials to hasten the ML-1 upgrade and to adopt corporate-style management practices across the railways.

The ML-1 scheme forms a key component of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and seeks to modernise the existing line running from Peshawar to Karachi. Shehbaz said the project matters for passenger comfort and freight movement, and he stressed that the commercial potential of railway property must be tapped. He also praised teams from NAB and the Ministry of Railways, led by the NAB Chairman, for identifying and disposing of encroached railway land.

According to the meeting, the upgrade has been split into four sections: Karachi-Rohri, Rohri-Multan, Multan-Lahore and Lahore-Peshawar. International financing is being used for the Karachi-Rohri stretch, while local funding plans are being drafted for the remaining sections. The premier has approved the use of bank funding for ML-1 through commercial projects on railway land and asked for a comprehensive plan within two weeks.