ISLAMABAD: After extensive consultations with the government, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) is finalising a $1.1 billion investment programme to improve the efficiency, safety and sustainability of railway transport along Pakistan Railways’ Main Line-1 between Karachi and Rohri by 2040.
A fact-finding mission of the ADB has been planned for January 2027 to discuss and evaluate project details with the federal and Sindh governments.
The mission will carry out assessments and management of environmental and social risks and impacts, labour and working conditions, resource conservation and pollution prevention, land acquisition and land-use restrictions, biodiversity and sustainable natural resources management, cultural heritage, and climate change.
The multi-tranche ADB facility will support the upgrading of the 480km Karachi-Rohri section of ML-1, the country’s core passenger and freight corridor. It will finance climate-resilient railway infrastructure improvements, the modernisation of signalling and operations, and institutional and capacity-building measures to enhance efficiency, safety, sustainability, and regional connectivity.
According to the project details, $1bn will be provided from ordinary capital resources, while $100m will come from concessional ordinary capital resources lending.
ADB is supporting the transformation of Pakistan Railways under the ML-1 through project-readiness financing approved in 2025, and is considering follow-on multi-tranche financing, combined with capacity building and governance reforms.
The ADB project document states that the investment programme will improve national and regional connectivity, logistics efficiency, and economic competitiveness in Pakistan by establishing a fast, safe, reliable, affordable, and environmentally sustainable railway system.
Earlier this month, Asian Development Bank Vice President for South, Central and West Asia Yingming Yang visited Islamabad and met with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the railways minister and other senior government officials.
A central focus of the discussions was the modernisation of the ML-1 railway corridor from Karachi to Peshawar, a vital national infrastructure priority. The premier emphasised to the ADB vice president that upgrading ML-1 is essential to modernise freight logistics, strengthen regional trade connectivity, and support major industrial initiatives. The meeting also stressed the need to begin ML-1 early to support infrastructure development and modernise connectivity.
Railways Minister Hanif Abbasi briefed the ADB vice president that the Karachi-Rohri ML-1 upgradation project is estimated to cost approximately $2.5bn and is targeted for completion within three years. He added that, in line with the prime minister’s directions, the 183-kilometre Nawabshah-Rohri section would be taken up on a priority basis.
The railways minister asked the ADB official to expedite approval of the central investment loan for the project and said that Pakistan intends to continue cooperating with the ADB and other development partners to finance the remaining sections of ML-1 from Rohri to Peshawar.
Published in Dawn, October 1st, 2026
