Pakistan Railways CEO Aamir Ali Baloch on Saturday said that preparations for the upgrade of Main Line-1 (ML-1) have entered the final stage and work on the long-delayed project is expected to begin in July.
The statements came in a meeting with a delegation of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) at the Railways headquarters in Lahore. The ADB delegation held detailed discussions with senior railway officials on the scope, design and financial structure of the ML-1 upgrade.
During the meeting, the delegation shared their observations and technical recommendations with the CEO, while both parties agreed to move forward to finalize key details of the project.
The Lahore meeting was held after the ADB team recently inspected the Karachi to Rohri railway line, a critical 480-kilometre section that is part of the first package of ML-1. Officials said the site visit was aimed at assessing the existing infrastructure and identifying priority areas for investment, particularly in road renewal, signal system improvement and speed improvement.
ML-1 is the backbone of Pakistan’s railway network, stretching for 1,872 kilometers from Karachi to Peshawar and carrying most of the country’s passenger and freight traffic. The project aims to modernize the aging railway system to increase train speed, improve safety, improve freight capacity and reduce travel time between major cities.
Once completed, it is expected to significantly reduce logistics costs and support industrial growth by ensuring reliable transportation of goods, including coal from Thar and minerals from Balochistan.
The pace of the project, however, is not smooth and many analysts still do not believe that the ML-1 innovation will be possible in July, as they have heard similar statements before and too often.
Although the initial feasibility was prepared years ago, serious progress only began after ML-1 was included in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. At the time, China had expressed its willingness to finance the project, but rising costs, design changes and growing concerns about Pakistan’s debt led to delays.
Over time, the estimated cost of the project was revised many times, leading China to adopt a more cautious approach, particularly as Islamabad struggled to secure sustainable financing conditions.
As a result, Pakistan turned to multilateral lenders, including the ADB, to explore alternative financing options.
While the ADB has not yet formally approved the financing, officials see the recent high-level inspections and commitments as a positive sign. Analysts believe ADB involvement could help restructure the project into manageable phases, easing the financial burden and regaining momentum.
Former railway officials said the renewed commitment to the ADB marks a critical step toward reviving ML-1. If financing is secured and deadlines are met, the project could finally move from decades of planning to execution, delivering a long-awaited boost to the country’s economic and transportation infrastructure.
