Railways ML-1 upgrading to start this year

ISLAMABAD:

The Ministry of Railways has presented in the National Assembly a detailed plan for the upgrading of the 1,726-kilometre Main Line-1 railway track from Karachi to Peshawar, stating that the mega project will be completed in five phases at an estimated cost of $6.66 billion.

According to official documents submitted to the lower house, work in the first phase will begin on the 480km Karachi–Rohri section. The groundbreaking ceremony for the project is expected to be held later this year.

The estimated construction cost for the Karachi–Rohri segment has been fixed at $2 billion, while the project is scheduled to be completed within three years.

In the second phase, the 449km Rohri–Multan railway track will be upgraded at an estimated cost of $1.26 billion. The ministry said this phase will also be completed within three years.

The third phase will cover the 334km Multan–Lahore section. According to the documents, the upgrading project for this stretch will cost approximately $880 million and is expected to be completed within two years.

Under the fourth phase, the Lahore–Rawalpindi railway track will be upgraded. The 289km section is estimated to cost $1.56 billion and will be completed over a period of three years.

In the fifth and final phase, work will begin on the 174km Rawalpindi–Peshawar railway track. The ministry stated that the estimated cost for this section has been set at $920 million and the project will be completed within two years.