ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Ministry of Railways has presented a detailed plan in the National Assembly for the upgradation of the 1,726-kilometre Main Line-1 (ML-1) railway track from Karachi to Peshawar.
According to government documents, the mega project will be completed in five phases with a total estimated cost of $6.66 billion.
Officials said construction will begin with the first phase covering the 480-kilometre Karachi to Rohri section. A foundation-laying ceremony is expected later this year.
The Ministry of Railways said the Karachi-Rohri section will cost around $2 billion and will be completed in three years.
The second phase will cover the 449-kilometre Rohri to Multan section with an estimated cost of $1.26 billion. Officials said this phase will also take three years to complete.
The third phase includes the 334-kilometre Multan to Lahore section, with an estimated cost of $880 million. Authorities said this phase will be completed in two years.
Under the fourth phase, the 289-kilometre Lahore to Rawalpindi section will be upgraded at a cost of $1.56 billion, with a completion timeline of three years.
The final phase will upgrade the 174-kilometre Rawalpindi to Peshawar section. Officials said this section will cost $920 million and will be completed in two years.
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The government said the ML-1 project will modernize Pakistan’s railway network, reduce travel time and improve freight transportation capacity across the country.
