Main Line-1 (ML-1) railway project in Pakistan is expected to be completedat a reduced cost of $6.6 billion, down from the initial estimate of $9billion. Chinese officials are set to present this revised plan toPakistan’s Planning Commission after the ‘one belt one road’ conference.
This revised plan will trim $2.4 billion from the project’s cost, and bothparties reached an agreement on it during a joint working group session inChina. The planning ministry and Chinese officials have discussed thisrevised plan, with the participation of the Secretary Railways andSecretary Communications in the joint working group meeting.
The project’s cost reduction was achieved through mutual consultation, andit’s worth noting that Pakistan will provide 15% of the project’sfinancing. The ML-1 project aims to upgrade and double the 1733-kilometerrailway track from Karachi to Peshawar while incorporating modern signalingand telecom systems, enabling trains to run at speeds of up to 140kilometers per hour.
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As a cost-saving measure, the plan to fence the entire railway track hasbeen postponed, and fencing will only be implemented in populated areas.