Pakistan Railways Director General Aamir Ali Baloch said on Saturday that preparations for the modernization of Main Line 1 (ML-1) had entered the final stage and the groundbreaking of the long-delayed project was expected in July.
These remarks were made during a meeting with a delegation of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) at the railway headquarters in Lahore. The ADB delegation held in-depth discussions with senior railway officials on the scope, design and financing structure of the ML-1 modernization.
During the meeting, the delegation shared its technical observations and recommendations with the CEO, while both parties agreed to move forward to finalize key details of the project.
The meeting in Lahore took place after the ADB team recently inspected the Karachi-Rohri railway line, a critical 480-kilometer stretch that is part of the first ML-1 package. Officials said the site visit was aimed at assessing the existing infrastructure and identifying priority areas for investment, particularly in track renewal, improvement of signaling system and speed improvement.
ML-1 is the backbone of Pakistan’s railway network, stretching 1,872 kilometers from Karachi to Peshawar and carrying the bulk of the country’s passenger and freight traffic. The project aims to modernize the aging rail system to increase train speeds, improve safety, increase freight capacity and reduce travel time between major cities.
Once completed, it is expected to significantly reduce logistics costs and support industrial growth by providing reliable transportation of goods, including coal from Thar and minerals from Balochistan.
The pace of the project is not smooth, however, and many analysts still do not believe that the groundbreaking of the ML-1 will be possible in July, because they have heard such statements before and too often.
Although the initial feasibility was prepared years ago, serious progress began only after ML-1 was included in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. At the time, China said it was ready to finance the project, but rising costs, design changes and Pakistan’s growing debt problems led to delays.
Over time, the estimated cost of the project was revised several times, prompting China to take a more cautious approach, especially as Islamabad struggled to secure sustainable financing terms.
As a result, Pakistan has turned to multilateral lenders, including the ADB, to explore other financing options.
Although the ADB has not yet formally approved the financing, officials view recent inspections and high-level commitments as a positive sign. Analysts say the ADB’s involvement could help restructure the project into manageable phases, easing the financial burden and restoring momentum.
Former railroad officials said the renewed engagement with the ADB marks a crucial step toward reviving the ML-1. If funding is secured and deadlines met, the project could finally move from decades of planning to implementation, providing a long-awaited boost to the country’s transportation and economic infrastructure.
