- CPEC’s flagship Main Line-1 railway track upgrade comprises 1,687-kilometer (Karachi–Peshawar)
- ADB fact-finding team will prepare a report on ML-1 project, following which a final decision on financing will be made
- A railways spokesperson says ADB is yet to take any decision while calling China the main financier
LAHORE/KARACHI: Pakistan Railways is considering financial support from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for the much-talked-about and long-delayed Main Line-1 (ML-1) railway track upgrade and for the purpose, experts from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), along with railway officials, inspected the 480-kilometer Karachi-Rohri section, according to an official statement.
According to a statement from the railways headquarters, the ADB’s fact-finding team, including its chief transport planner, along with railway officials, inspected the 480-kilometer track line on the Karachi-Rohri section.
The ambitious ML-1, a 1,687-kilometer Karachi–Peshawar rail track upgrade, is part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and will cost $6.7 billion. The upgrade involves track doubling, advanced signaling, and higher-speed trains and is expected to boost cargo and passenger capacity.
The upgrade will not only ease access to Reko Diq but also ensure uninterrupted and faster transportation of Thar coal.
It is to be noted that the Karachi-to-Rohri track upgrade is part of the first package of ML-1.
“Experts from the Asian Development Bank inspected the Karachi to Rohri railway line today,” the PR said in a statement, elaborating that the ADB’s Chief Transport Planner Sangyoon Kim, conducted the 480-kilometer track inspection alongside the chief engineer (open lines) of Pakistan Railways.
“ADB’s fact-finding specialists will prepare a report on the readiness of the Main Line-1 (ML-1) project, following which a final decision regarding the project’s financing will be made,” the statement stated.
Initially, the project was approved by the Economic Coordination Committee in 2020 but has repeatedly stalled, mainly due to a paucity of funds. The ML-1 is the country’s main rail connectivity, carrying a major bulk of the country’s cargo and passenger traffic.
According to Babar Ali Raza, spokesperson at the railways ministry, “China is the main financier of the ML-1 project, and the ADB was currently only preparing the feasibility.”
“The team conducting the inspection is assessing its own feasibility to determine whether ADB can provide financing or not,” he pointed out, adding that this would be ADB’s own financing.
The multibillion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is described as a “game-changer” for growth as the corridor comprises infrastructure initiatives from roads to energy and railway development.
The two countries are also striving for regional connectivity, with Pakistan actively pursuing economic diplomacy in the neighborhood and offering its southern ports to landlocked Central Asian countries for global trade.
