KARACHI: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is considering to provide financial support worth $2 billion for upgrading a strategic 500-kilometer railway track connecting Karachi to Rohri, a project critical for Pakistan’s Reko Diq copper mining operation. This development comes amid delays in securing funding from Beijing, which had threatened to stall the mining project.
According to reports, the proposed upgrade will modernize bridges and railway tracks between Karachi and Rohri near Sukkur, enabling faster and more efficient train operations. At Rohri, the railway line will connect to a branch line coming from the Reko Diq copper mine, facilitating the transportation of raw copper ore to the port.
The upgrade is deemed urgent, as the project is essential for the export logistics of copper extracted from the Reko Diq mine, operated by Canada’s Barrick Mining Corporation. Earlier this week, ADB announced $410 million in financial aid specifically for the Reko Diq project. The ADB President is scheduled to visit Islamabad next week to further discuss the initiative.
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Tim Cribb, Project Director of Reko Diq, told Reuters that the government and Barrick are working together to secure funds for upgrading the railway branch from the western border to Rohri. The mining project is expected to begin production in 2028, with an estimated annual output of approximately 200,000 metric tons of copper ore. Reko Diq is considered one of the world’s largest untapped copper reserves and represents Pakistan’s largest foreign investment in recent years.
