Govt seeks funds for ML-1 upgrade

Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal, currently on a three-day visit to Mongolia to attend the Carec International Conference, highlighted the strategic importance of modernising Pakistan Railways' Mainline-1 (ML-1), describing it as critical for expanding trade, freight capacity and regional connectivity. Addressing the Development Partners Dialogue on Advancing Trade, Tourism and Regional Competitiveness, the minister presented Pakistan's ML-1 modernisation plan and briefed the development partners on the progress made towards upgrading the Karachi-Rohri section. He also held meetings with the Carec Institute and a delegation from Uzbekistan. Ahsan Iqbal said ML-1 was the backbone of Pakistan's railway network, stretching 1,726 kilometres from Karachi to Peshawar and carrying 76% of passenger traffic and 98% of freight traffic, despite significant infrastructure constraints. He stressed that modernising the corridor was not merely a railway development project but a national economic priority directly linked to Pakistan's trade and growth potential. The minister said the proposed up-gradation would substantially increase line capacity from 34 to 120 train pairs, raise passenger train speeds up to 160 km per hour and freight train speeds from 30 to 80 km/h, while reducing Karachi-Rohri travel time from eight hours to approximately four and a half hours. The upgraded corridor will also support rising freight demand, projected to reach around 21 million tonnes annually by 2035. Highlighting progress on the Karachi-Rohri section, Ahsan Iqbal said the $2.5 billion project was the most advanced component of ML-1 modernisation, with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) leading the financing effort and AIIB, World Bank, IsDB and EIB engaged as co-financing partners. He said the project had moved beyond the conceptual stage, with project readiness financing secured, engineering work undertaken and procurement and financing processes advancing. The minister emphasised that Pakistan's objective was not to treat Karachi-Rohri as an isolated project but as the first step towards complete modernisation of the Karachi-Peshawar corridor. He said Pakistan was simultaneously working to develop a financing pathway for the remaining sections from Rohri to Peshawar. "The key issue is no longer whether ML-1 needs modernisation; the requirement is clear. The priority now is to convert the progress already made on Karachi-Rohri into implementation while securing financing for the remaining corridor in parallel," Iqbal said.