PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has decided to provide yet another state-of-the-art commuting facility to its people by initiating a fast railway train facility to connect Nowshera, Charsadda and Mardan districts with the provincial metropolis.

According to official documents, a feasibility study will be completed within 12 months for initiating the project having 103 kilometres railway ride. The project will include construction of a 27-kilometre new track besides rehabilitation of the 75 kilometres existing track. For the purpose, the document said a 33-kilometre section of the ML-1 project would also be utilized. Trains with speeds of up to 120 kilometres per hour would run on the track.

The project would also have 15 stations, where all needed facilities would be provided to passengers.

Stations for the trains would be established in Peshawar, Charsadda, Mardan, Risalpur and Nowshera, while Swabi, Jahangira and Dargai sections would be added to the project in the second phase.

Published in Dawn, September 25th, 2021