Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal has called for the complete modernization of Pakistan Railways’ Main Line-1 (ML-1), saying the railway corridor is critical to expanding trade, freight capacity and regional connectivity.
Speaking at the Development Partners Dialogue on “Advancing Trade, Tourism and Regional Competitiveness” in Mongolia, Iqbal presented Pakistan’s ML-1 modernization plan and briefed development partners on progress on the Karachi-Rohri section.
ML-1 stretches 1,726 kilometers from Karachi to Peshawar and carries 76 percent of Pakistan’s passenger traffic and 98 percent of freight traffic. Iqbal said modernizing the corridor was a national economic priority because of its importance to trade and economic growth.
The proposed upgrade would increase line capacity from 34 to 120 train pairs, raise passenger speeds to up to 160 kilometers per hour and increase freight speeds from 30 to 80 kilometers per hour. The Karachi-Rohri travel time would also fall from eight hours to about four and a half hours.
The upgraded corridor is expected to support rising freight demand, which is projected to reach around 21 million tons annually by 2035.
Ahsan Iqbal said the Karachi-Rohri section, estimated to cost about $2.5 billion, is the most advanced part of the ML-1 modernization plan. The Asian Development Bank is leading the financing effort, while the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, World Bank, Islamic Development Bank and European Investment Bank are involved as co-financing partners.
The minister said project readiness financing had been secured, engineering work had been carried out and procurement and financing processes were advancing. He added that the government was also developing a financing plan for the remaining sections from Rohri to Peshawar.
The minister said the Karachi-Rohri project should be treated as the first step toward modernizing the entire Karachi-Peshawar corridor rather than as a standalone project.
He added that the focus should now be on implementation, maintaining financing continuity and securing funding for the remaining sections so that ML-1 could operate as an integrated high-capacity railway corridor.
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