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ISLAMABAD:
The government has decided to start preliminary work on the Karachi-Rohri segment of the Karachi-Peshawar Main Line (ML-1) in July next year.
The government had secured a $2 billion financing package from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for the project, aiming to complete it by December 2028 to facilitate transportation from the multibillion-dollar Reko Diq copper-gold project.
Planning Minister Professor Ahsan Iqbal chaired a review meeting of key Public Sector Development Program (PSDP) projects in railway, road and water sectors and directed relevant ministries to prioritize timely execution, quality assurance and realistic financial planning for the next three years to ensure delivery of critical infrastructure at the national level.
The meeting, held here, reviewed the main interventions in the transport and water sector under the PSDP 2025-26, according to a press release on Saturday.
The meeting also reviewed the upgrade of 884 kilometers of Main Line-3 (ML-3) and the Thar Coal Railway Connectivity Project, a strategic initiative aimed at improving logistics for power supply and industrial development.
The Thar Coal Railway Connectivity Project, with an estimated cost of Rs 53.7 billion, consists of three packages, including the construction of a new single-track railway line from Thar coal mines to the new Chorr station over a distance of 105 kilometres, a new double-track line of about nine kilometers from Bin Qasim to Port Qasim, while package III covers the development of a coal discharge shaft in Port Qasim and Lakhra Power Station Station. The project is expected to be completed in June 2026.
Iqbal directed the Ministry of Railways to submit a clear assessment of funding needs for the next three years.
The meeting also reviewed the National Highway Authority’s portfolio under PSDP 2025-26, comprising 71 projects with a total cost of approximately Rs 3,407 billion.
Under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP), the Minister highlighted the Sambrial-Kharian-Rawalpindi Expressway, M-8 in Balochistan and Mashkel-Panjgur-Chadgi Highway projects as high priority initiatives requiring accelerated implementation.
The meeting also reviewed major water sector projects under PSDP 2025-26, comprising 34 projects with a total approved cost of Rs 1,848 billion. The key projects discussed included Dasu Hydroelectric Project, Diamer-Bhasha Dam, Mohmand Dam Hydroelectric Project, Chasma Right Bank Canal, Tarbela Fifth Extension Hydroelectric Project and K-IV Water Supply Project for Karachi.
