LAHORE: Pakistan Railways will complete projects to upgrade its infrastructure in three phases under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

A new dry port will be established, while laying of new tracks along with upgrade of the existing ones have been planned under CPEC projects, an officer of railways ministry told Dawn on Monday.

“Fencing the track passing through thickly-populated areas, upgrade of railway stations, computerisation of signalling system and provision of modern training facilities to the staff would also be ensured under the first phase or as a short-term project of the plan.

“At present, the Karachi-Peshawar and Taxila-Havelian rail route or Main Line - 1 (ML-1) which passes through Kotri, Multan, Lahore, and Rawalpindi, is 1,872km long and comprises 70 per cent of the total operational track Pakistan Railways has. Development of a new dry port at Havelian and upgrade of ML-1 tracks will be completed by 2020 (under the first phase), along with dualisation of the track from Shahdara to Peshawar,” said the officer.

Two new tracks -- from Kotri to Quetta through Gawadr and Bisima and from Bisima to Rohri throuugh Jaccobad -- would also be laid under the second phase or medium-term projects of Main Line 2 (ML-2), to be completed by 2025.

The Main Line 3 would be extended from Quetta to Kotla Jam under this phase.

The length of new track would be 560km from Bostan to Kotla Jam through Zhob and Dera Ismail Khan.

Under the plan, new railway tracks will be laid from Gwadar to Quetta and Jacobabad through Bisima.

Rail track from Kotri to Attock City through Dadu, Larkana, Jacobabad, Dera Ghazi Khan, Bhakkar, Kundian (1,254kms) would also be upgraded.

From Havelian to Khunjerab, length of new track would be 682km and it would be laid under the third phase or long-term project under the CPEC to be completed by 2030.

Published in Dawn, May 31st, 2016