PM Pushes Early Groundbreaking of ML-1 Project

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has called for the early groundbreaking of the Karachi-Peshawar Main Line-1 railway project, describing the upgrade as a national priority for transport, trade connectivity and long-term economic growth.

He made the remarks during a meeting in Islamabad with Yingming Yang, the Asian Development Bank's vice president for South, Central and West Asia. The discussion focused on the long-delayed ML-1 project, its financing and wider cooperation between Pakistan and the ADB under the bank's new country strategy.

Why ML-1 matters

ML-1 is Pakistan's main north-south railway corridor, linking Karachi with Peshawar over roughly 1,670 kilometres. The route is central to both passenger movement and freight transport, which is why its modernisation has been discussed for years as one of the country's most important infrastructure upgrades.

The project is expected to improve track quality, increase capacity, reduce travel time and make rail freight more useful for trade. For businesses, a stronger rail corridor can lower logistics costs and reduce pressure on roads. For passengers, the promise is safer and more reliable movement between major cities.

ADB role in the first phase

Pakistan has secured ADB support for the Karachi-Rohri section, which is being treated as an early phase of the wider ML-1 upgrade. The project's full cost has long been estimated at about $10 billion, meaning Pakistan needs a phased financing model rather than a single funding source.

The government's position is that ADB involvement does not replace China's role in ML-1. The railway upgrade remains linked to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, but Islamabad has also looked to multilateral lenders to help move the first section forward.

CPEC and financing choices

ML-1 was originally planned as a flagship rail project under CPEC, with financing to be arranged through a mix of Chinese, Pakistani and other support. Delays, fiscal pressure and debt-management concerns slowed the timetable.

ADB participation gives the government a way to start work on a priority segment while keeping the broader CPEC framework alive. That approach may be less dramatic than launching the whole corridor at once, but it is more realistic in the current fiscal environment.

What Shehbaz told the ADB

According to official reporting, Shehbaz appreciated the ADB's support for Pakistan in infrastructure, transport, urban development and public services. He said the ML-1 upgrade was important not only for railways but for the wider economy.

The prime minister also said Pakistan had passed through a difficult period of economic adjustment through fiscal, structural and governance reforms. He linked those reforms to restored macroeconomic stability, improved investor confidence and better assessments by international credit-rating agencies.

Country strategy through 2030

The meeting also covered the ADB's Country Partnership Strategy for Pakistan from 2026 to 2030. The bank says the five-year strategy aims to support sustainable and inclusive growth, with a strong focus on private-sector-led development.

ADB has said it expects to provide around $10 billion in financing to Pakistan during the strategy period, subject to project readiness and approvals. Priority areas include infrastructure, climate resilience, private investment, public services and economic reform.

Broader areas of cooperation

Shehbaz and Yang also discussed cooperation in private-sector development, energy stability, food security, exports, artificial intelligence and information technology. Those subjects show that Pakistan is trying to connect infrastructure spending with productivity and competitiveness.

For ML-1, that connection is especially important. A railway upgrade can support trade only if it is paired with better freight handling, industrial planning, port connectivity and reliable execution.

The early groundbreaking push is therefore both symbolic and practical. Symbolically, it tells investors and development partners that Pakistan wants to move beyond repeated announcements. Practically, it tests whether the government can turn financing, planning and intergovernmental coordination into visible construction on a project that has been promised for years.

If work begins on schedule, ML-1 could become a visible measure of whether Pakistan's infrastructure reform agenda is finally moving from planning tables to tracks.