ML-1 | Pakistan

PR says civil works on the $2.5 billion first phase of Main Line-1 (ML-1) railway project could begin in January 2027

Officials from a mission of five multilateral international lenders survey the Karachi Railway Division, as it will be connected to ML-1.—Courtesy Railways • Phase-I covers 480km Karachi-Rohri railway section • Online market engagement with contractors, consultants set for Sept 8 • Project expected to take up to three years to complete LAHORE: Civil work on the $2.5 billion first phase of the Main Line-1 (ML-1) railway project is likely to begin in January 2027, as Pakistan Railways (PR) accelerates market consultations, pre-bid preparations and other processes required to meet the timeline set by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. PR has announced an online early market engagement session for Sept 8, inviting local and international civil works contractors as well as project design and monitoring consultants to discuss project readiness, procurement progress and strategy, developments since March and other matters related to the first phase. “We are trying our level best to launch this project as early as possib...

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi has said the ML-1 railway project will be a major milestone in the development of the province’s southern districts.

The work on the Main Line-1 (ML-1) railway project is expected to begin in July 2026 from the Karachi Port, said Minister of Railways Hanif Abbasi on Tuesday. The ML-1 project aims to upgrade and modernise key infrastructure to enhance freight and passenger connectivity from Karachi to Peshawar. Last month, a review meeting on the key Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) projects was also informed that the project will begin in July this year. According to a press release issued today, Abbasi, in a meeting with the Chairman Karachi Port Trust (KPT) Rear Admiral (retd) Shahid Ahmed, on January 9, said that the construction of the project will begin from the Karachi Port, starting in July. During the meeting, he informed chairman KPT that under the project, a 54-kilometre railway section from “KPT to Pipri will be upgraded to ensure seamless cargo movement”. The two also discussed “measures for strengthening the railway system for efficient cargo transportation from Karachi Port”. Reduction of congestion ...

ISLAMABAD: The government announced on Monday that Pakistan and China had agreed to form a consortium of bilateral and multilateral partners to finance the $7 billion Mainline-1 (ML-1) railway project, along with a four-year action plan (2025-29) for the second phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Speaking at a news conference, Planning and Development Minister Ahsan Iqbal said that during Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s recent visit to China, the two sides had agreed to constitute a consortium of financiers, including the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), China and Pakistan, for the 1,700-km Karachi-Peshawar railway line. He said China had assured financing not only for ML-1 but also for the Karakoram Highway. Negotiations with multiple financiers would be concluded within a month. He added that ML-1 and the Sukkur-Hyderabad Motorway would already have been completed, had it not been for the 2018 political change, alleging that the subsequent PTI gove...