Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has stressed the need for the early groundbreaking of the Main Line-1 (ML-1) railway project, describing the Karachi to Peshawar corridor as vital for modernising freight transport, strengthening regional trade connectivity, and supporting major industrial initiatives. The matter was discussed during a breakfast meeting between the Prime Minister and Asian Development Bank (ADB) Vice President for South, Central and West Asia Yingming Yang in Islamabad. The meeting also reviewed the multi-decade development partnership between Pakistan and ADB and discussed priority interventions under the new Country Partnership Strategy (CPS) 2026-2030.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif welcomed Yingming Yang on his first official visit to Pakistan in his current capacity and praised ADB for its consistent professionalism and responsiveness in supporting major development projects in the country. He specifically acknowledged the bank’s role in delivering transformative urban infrastructure, transport, and public service projects. The Prime Minister emphasized that the ML-1 project requires early progress, with the groundbreaking considered important for infrastructure development and the modernization of connectivity across Pakistan. The railway corridor is expected to have a significant role in improving freight movement and strengthening links between major economic centres.
The Prime Minister also highlighted Pakistan’s recent economic progress, saying the country had successfully managed a difficult economic recovery through rigorous fiscal, structural, and governance reforms. According to him, these corrective measures have restored macroeconomic stability, reinforced investor confidence, and contributed to stable outlook upgrades from major international credit rating agencies, including Fitch, Moody’s, and S&P. He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to long-term economic transformation and said administrative bottlenecks are being actively dismantled through dedicated execution task forces. The focus, he indicated, is on ensuring that government priorities move forward through stronger execution and timely implementation.
The meeting also focused on expanding cooperation between Pakistan and ADB across several important sectors. Discussions covered support for the private sector, energy security, food security, export competitiveness, Artificial Intelligence, and Information Technology. These areas form part of the broader priorities being considered under the Country Partnership Strategy 2026-2030. The two sides discussed ways to strengthen cooperation and translate the partnership into practical development initiatives. The meeting concluded with a mutual pledge to convert the strategic priorities of the new partnership strategy into concrete, high-impact results aimed at supporting sustainable growth and visibly improving the standard of living for the people of Pakistan.
ML-1 was also discussed in a separate meeting between Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Cheema and ADB representatives, where the railway corridor was described as a flagship project of national significance and a key priority for Pakistan. The government has been seeking to accelerate progress on the long-delayed project, while ADB welcomed developments and agreed to support the establishment of a joint working group on reforms in Pakistan Railways. The Main Line-1 is a planned 1,733-kilometre upgrade of Pakistan’s main railway corridor, connecting Karachi with Peshawar through major cities including Lahore and Rawalpindi. The project also includes the Taxila-Havelian section, while much of the existing railway infrastructure has deteriorated over the years and requires major rehabilitation and expansion.
The project was designed to upgrade and double-track the railway corridor, with trains eventually expected to operate at speeds of up to 160 kilometres per hour compared with around 80 kilometres per hour at the time. The planned improvements are intended to enhance passenger and freight services, reduce transportation costs, and strengthen Pakistan’s wider trade and logistics network. ML-1 was a major component of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), but implementation faced repeated delays due to funding constraints, bureaucratic delays, and an unfavourable economic and international financing environment. The roughly $2.5 billion project has remained stalled for years, although the government has recently sought to revive it through procedural work on an elevated 480-kilometre section between Karachi and Rohri.
The first phase of the revived work is estimated to cost around Rs450 billion and is expected to be financed by Chinese banks alongside other international lenders. However, securing financing and obtaining the required engineering expertise remain important challenges. The government has also faced pressure to ensure that the railway project does not become another long-delayed infrastructure initiative, with physical work targeted to resume from the beginning of 2027. Given the scale of ML-1, its impact is expected to extend beyond Pakistan Railways by improving the movement of goods and passengers, strengthening regional trade links, and connecting Pakistan more effectively with broader rail and economic connectivity projects.
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