NA body informed: Karachi-Pipri freight corridor-1, M-9 Motorway expected to be completed within six months

ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary panel Friday was informed that the first phase of the Karachi–Pipri freight corridor project, costing USD 400 million and linking Karachi Port with the M-9 Motorway, is likely to be completed within the next six months.

Briefing the National Assembly Standing Committee on Pakistan Railways (PR), which met here on Friday with Ramesh Lal in the chair, Federal Secretary Railways said that after the completion, the project will handle 17 freight trains daily.

The secretary of Pakistan Railways informed the committee that the project will commence from Kamari, and two new railway lines will be established to connect it with the Motorway (M-9). He added that 17 freight trains will operate daily. The committee deliberated on various aspects of this project and held a detailed discussion on its progress and scope. It was informed that the terminal will initially operate on a small scale, and the first phase is expected to be completed within six months. The project has an estimated cost of USD 400 million.

The committee was briefed on the incident of Jaffer Express. It was informed that on 7th October, 2025, at 08:15 hours, the Jaffer Express was targeted with an improvised explosive device (IED) near Sultan Kot Railway Station, Sindh. As a result, five bogies were derailed and the track was damaged. Seven passengers, including Pakistan Railways employees, sustained minor injuries. Police reached the spot immediately, and the injured were shifted to the Civil Hospital, Shikarpur. The district administration and police from Sukkur, Larkana, and Shikarpur also arrived at the site. After detailed deliberations, the committee directed Pakistan Railways to strengthen regular patrolling in sensitive areas and install three jammers in every train to protect passengers from such incidents in the future.

The Divisional Superintendent (DS), PR, Sukkur, briefed the Committee on encroachments in the Sukkur Railway Division. He apprised the committee that 16,458 acres of land were under operational use, 3,253.233 acres were under encroachment, and 457 acres were occupied by grabbers. He further informed that he had visited Khanpur, Rohri Yard, Rahim Yar Khan, Sukkur, Pannu Aqil, Mehrabpur, and several other locations in this regard. He added that efforts are being made to vacate encroachments from agricultural land. After a detailed discussion, the Committee directed Pakistan Railways to submit a report on the criteria and procedure for leasing out of Railway land across the country.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025