Pakistan Railways urges China for swift action on ML-1

LAHORE: The Pakistan Railway administration has urged swift action from China’s authorities on the ML-1 (Mainline-1) project.

Pakistan Railway CEO Amir Baloch made the request during a warm reception of a high-level delegation from China’s National Railway Administration.

The 21-member delegation, led by Zhu Mengrui, team leader of the ML-1 project, expressed full support and commitment to the timely initiation of the transformative ML-1 project.

Baloch highlighted the unprecedented cooperation between Pakistan and China in energy and transport sectors, emphasizing ML-1 as a game-changer that will revolutionize Pakistan’s transport and boost revenue in the freight sector.

Mengrui assured collaborative efforts in addressing all aspects, including financing schemes and design proposals, marking a significant step towards enhancing economic ties and reducing transportation costs with the establishment of economic zones linked to ML-1.

Wang Chen from the Science and Technology Department of the Chinese Railways was also a prominent member of the 21-member delegation.

Earlier, it was reported that the civil work on Main Line-1 (ML-1) project is likely to begin in next financial year as Pakistan is all set to sign a revised agreement on the project with China under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Sources told ARY News that the construction of Main Line-1 (ML-1) project – which will be carried out in three phases – would cost $6.7 billion under the revised plan.

Sources claimed that the construction in phase one will cost $2.7 billion, $2.6 billion in phase two and $1.4 billion in phase three.

ML-1 project

The project, Pakistan’s first-ever state-of-the-art railway project, aims upgrading and doubling of the 1733-kilometre railway track from Karachi to Peshawar besides the installation of modern signaling and telecom systems.

The project also included complete grade separation and fencing, making travel durations of 10 hours between Lahore and Karachi, 2.45 hours between Lahore and Rawalpindi, and 14.30 hours between Karachi and Peshawar.

The project features construction of railway tracks between Nawabshah to Rohri, Multan to Lahore, Lahore to Lalamusa, Kemari to Hyderabad, Hyderabad to Multan, Lalamusa to Rawalpindi, Rawalpindi to Peshawar and Havelian Dry Port.

The upgradation of the railway tracks will enable the trains to run at 140kilometres per hour. The project also features the construction of 2,096 bridges/culverts, 1,300km of fencing, and 165/631-grade separation.

Pakistan and China had signed the Main Line-1 (ML-1) framework in May 2017 and the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) approved the project in August 2020.