Pakistan, Asian Development Bank discuss early groundbreaking of ML-1 railway
- Central focus of the discussions was the modernisation of the ML-1
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday called for an early start to work on the planned upgrade of the country’s Main Line-1 railway, as Islamabad and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) discussed infrastructure and other development priorities under a new 2026-30 partnership strategy.
The development came during a meeting between PM Shehbaz and ADB Vice President for South, Central, and West Asia, Yingming Yang, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in a statement.
A central focus of the discussions was the modernisation of the ML-1 railway corridor from Karachi to Peshawar—a vital national infrastructure priority.
PM underscored that upgrading ML-1 is essential for modernising freight logistics, strengthening regional trade connectivity, and supporting major industrial initiatives. The meeting discussed the need for early groundbreaking of ML1, being vital for infrastructure development and modernising connectivity, the statement said.
The ML-1 railway project is an ambitious undertaking to upgrade Pakistan Railways’ existing Main Line-1, which stretches 1,733 km from Karachi to Peshawar, passing through cities like Kotri, Hyderabad, Rohri, Multan, Lahore, and Rawalpindi. The project is a vital component of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
The meeting also reviewed the multi-decade development partnership and charted priority interventions under the new Country Partnership Strategy (CPS) 2026–2030.
The prime minister emphasised that Pakistan has successfully navigated a difficult economic turnaround through rigorous fiscal, structural, and governance reforms.
“These corrective actions have restored macroeconomic stability, reinforced investor confidence, and earned stable outlook upgrades from major international credit rating agencies including Fitch, Moody’s, and S&P,” read the PMO statement.
Reaffirming the government’s steadfast commitment to long-term economic transformation, the PM stressed that the administrative bottlenecks are being actively dismantled through dedicated execution task forces.
The meeting also explored collaborative avenues in support of the private sector, energy security, food security, enhancing support for export competitiveness, Artificial Intelligence and Information Technology.
The meeting concluded with a mutual pledge to translate the strategic priorities of the CPS 2026–2030 into concrete, high-impact results that drive sustainable growth and visibly enhance the standard of living for the people of Pakistan.