Railways, Asian Development Bank hold ML-1 consultation
LAHORE: Pakistan Railways, with support from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), completed the second pre-market consultation for the Karachi-Rohri section of the Main Line-1 (ML-1) upgradation project on Tuesday. The consultation drew as many as 134 participants, including national and international contractors, consultants, equipment suppliers, and manufacturers. The Karachi-Rohri ML-1…
Pakistan Railways, backed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), concluded a crucial pre-market consultation for the Karachi-Rohri segment of the Main Line-1 (ML-1) upgrade project on Tuesday. The meeting attracted 134 participants, encompassing contractors, consultants, equipment suppliers, and manufacturers. This project is a top priority for the federal government, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif spearheading efforts to modernize Pakistan's railway infrastructure and enhance rail safety, efficiency, and reliability.
During the consultation, stakeholders shared their insights and recommendations on various elements of the project. These discussions are anticipated to inform the procurement strategy and further refine the project preparation process. The strong involvement from market representatives and the fruitful exchange of ideas were described as instrumental in making the consultation a productive and effective process.
Officials expressed confidence that the PR would continue its engagement with the market to foster a competitive and transparent procurement procedure, benefiting all stakeholders, including the government, development partners, industry players, and ultimately, the public.
Civil works on the $2.5 billion initial phase of the ML-1 project are anticipated to commence in January 2027. The project spans 480 km from Karachi to Rohri/Sukkur, featuring new up and down tracks, reinforcement fencing on both sides to deter unauthorized access, and constructing a corridor that accommodates 76 percent of passenger traffic and 98 percent of freight traffic. The corridor connects major population centers and industrial hubs.
The ML-1 project is envisioned to be financed by the Asian Development Bank, with potential co-financing from AIIB, EIN, the World Bank, and IsDB. The project's broad scope includes civil and track works on the Keamari-Landhi-Hyderabad, Hyderabad-Nawabshah, and Nawabshah-Rohri segments, which involve track reconstruction, limited realignments, bridge and culvert construction, stations, freight yards, and buildings.
Upgrades to Walton Academy, signaling, and telecommunications infrastructure will also be part of the project.
Written by urgent.news from Dawn Business's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
