ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday directed authorities to accelerate work on the Main Line-1 (ML-1) railway upgrade and introduce corporate-style reforms in Pakistan Railways.

The ML-1 project aims to upgrade and modernise key infrastructure to enhance freight and passenger connectivity from Karachi to Peshawar.

Presiding over a meeting on Pakistan Railways on Wednesday, the prime minister appreciated the efforts of teams from the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and the Ministry of Railways, led by the NAB chairman, to identify and recover encroached railway land, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said.

“Modernising ML-1 is of key importance for the development of Pakistan Railways, improving passenger services and increasing freight transport,” he was quoted as saying.

The prime minister directed that ML-1 be developed on a commercial basis by utilising identified railway land worth billions of rupees.

“The real commercial potential of railway properties needs to be harnessed,” he said, calling for the effective use of valuable railway land for commercial purposes to contribute to the national economy and the development of Pakistan Railways.

He said corporate-style reforms to strengthen the railways and make it economically self-sufficient were among the government’s priorities. He added that the railway minister was working to make the organisation profitable and improve its operations.

PM Shehbaz, during the meeting, approved securing bank financing through commercial projects on railway land and utilising the funds for the project.

He directed authorities to present a comprehensive plan within two weeks based on the actual commercial potential of railway land.

The meeting was informed that the 1,726-kilometre ML-1 upgrade had been divided into four major sections: Karachi-Rohri, Rohri-Multan, Multan-Lahore and Lahore-Peshawar.

International financing was being used for the Karachi-Rohri section, while plans were being prepared to finance the remaining sections through domestic resources, the meeting was told.

Officials briefed the meeting on various stages of the ML-1 project, progress on the Karachi-Rohri section and railway-owned land, as per the PMO.

Civil work on the first phase of the ML-1 is likely to begin in January 2027. It covers the 480km Karachi-Rohri/Sukkur section, where new up and down tracks will be laid along with fencing on both sides to prevent unauthorised access by people, animals and vehicles.

The project is expected to take between two and a half and three years to complete and will serve a corridor carrying 76 per cent of passenger and 98pc of freight traffic, besides connecting major population centres and industrial zones.

Last week, after extensive consultations with the government, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) said it was finalising a $1.1 billion investment programme to improve the efficiency, safety and sustainability of railway transport along ML-1 between Karachi and Rohri by 2040.

The multi-tranche ADB facility will support the upgrading of the Karachi-Rohri section of ML-1.