Pakistan pushes to begin ML-1 Karachi-Rohri railway upgrade in 2026 with ADB funding

Pakistan's government moved to accelerate the long-delayed ML-1 railway upgrade on Friday, with Economic Affairs Minister Ahad Cheema directing officials to complete documentation for the Karachi-Rohri section within the current year.

Cheema chaired a high-level meeting in Islamabad to review the implementation framework for the first phase of the Main Line-1 project. Senior officials from the Ministry of Railways, the Economic Affairs Division, and the Asian Development Bank attended the meeting.

What is the ML-1 Karachi-Rohri railway upgrade project?

The ML-1 project is a planned overhaul of Pakistan's main railway corridor running from Karachi to Peshawar at an estimated total cost of $6.66 billion. The first phase covers the 480-kilometre Karachi-Rohri section, with financing of around $2 billion being negotiated with the ADB. Once complete, the upgrade is expected to increase train speeds, improve freight efficiency, and reduce travel times across the network.

When will work on the ML-1 Karachi-Rohri section begin?

Cheema said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was keen to hold the groundbreaking ceremony for the project this year. "The Karachi-Rohri section is a starter and will be implemented come what may," Cheema said, according to an official statement. The government plans to secure ADB funding in the upcoming fiscal year, with a groundbreaking targeted for July 2026.

To meet that timeline, Cheema instructed the Ministry of Railways to accelerate coordination with the Economic Affairs Division and the ADB to finalize project documentation. He also directed the ministry to work closely with the Planning Division to ensure the readiness of the PC-1 planning document and other mandatory requirements. Timely completion of these steps, he said, would be essential to securing ADB financing on schedule.

What is the ADB's role in the ML-1 upgrade?

ADB Country Director Emma Fan attended the Islamabad meeting and reaffirmed the bank's support for advancing the project. She said the ADB would ensure the timely hiring of the Project Readiness Financing consultant and would make every effort to minimize the project review timeline. The bank is structuring a financing facility of around $1.2 billion for the Karachi-Rohri section, with co-financiers potentially brought in for the remainder.

What are the remaining phases of the ML-1 project?

Beyond the Karachi-Rohri section, the full ML-1 corridor stretches to Peshawar and is divided into five phases. The second phase covers the 449-kilometre Rohri-Multan section at an estimated cost of $1.26 billion. Cheema said the government was coordinating with other development partners for the remaining sections and aimed to finalize agreements for the full Karachi-to-Peshawar rail corridor.