ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have reaffirmed their commitment to advancing the long-delayed Main Line-1 (ML-1) railway modernization project, a flagship infrastructure upgrade central to the country’s economic reform and connectivity agenda, the information ministry said on Thursday.
The renewed focus on ML-1 follows meetings this week between senior Pakistani ministers and ADB officials in Islamabad, as the government seeks to revive large-scale infrastructure investment while maintaining fiscal discipline under an International Monetary Fund (IMF) program.
ML-1 is Pakistan Railways’ busiest north–south corridor, linking the southern port city of Karachi with major population and industrial centers in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The project aims to modernize tracks, signaling and rolling stock to improve safety, cut travel times and lower transport costs.
Originally envisioned as a flagship transport upgrade under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), ML-1 has struggled to reach financial close amid cost concerns, debt sustainability debates and implementation challenges. Pakistan has since sought broader multilateral engagement, with institutions including the Asian Development Bank now playing a central role in project structuring, financing discussions and efforts to address execution bottlenecks.
