Work on $2.5bn ML-1 to begin in January

• Phase-I covers 480km Karachi-Rohri railway section• Online market engagement with contractors, consultants set for Sept 8• Project expected to take up to three years to complete

LAHORE: Civil work on the $2.5 billion first phase of the Main Line-1 (ML-1) railway project is likely to begin in January 2027, as Pakistan Railways (PR) accelerates market consultations, pre-bid preparations and other processes required to meet the timeline set by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

PR has announced an online early market engagement session for Sept 8, inviting local and international civil works contractors as well as project design and monitoring consultants to discuss project readiness, procurement progress and strategy, developments since March and other matters related to the first phase.

“We are trying our level best to launch this project as early as possible. The prime minister wants its commencement by January next year by all means,” Railways Minister Hanif Abbasi told Dawn on Saturday.

He said early market engagement, international tendering, bidding, shortlisting of contractors and consultants and award of contracts could take four to five months, but PR would make every effort to have the project launched by the prime minister in January.

The first phase of ML-1 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........

© Dawn Business