ISLAMABAD - Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Lt Gen (retired) Asim Saleem Bajwa on Saturday said that the Central Development Working Party (CDWP) has approved the Railway’s Main Line (ML-1) project worth of$7.2 billion.

“The CDWP has approved and recommended ML-1 project to Executive Committee of National Economic Council (ECNEC) with cost US$ 7.2b,” said Asim Bajwa who is also Chairman of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Authority.

Bajwa on Saturday tweeted that the project scope included dualisation and up-gradation of 1872 km Railway track from Peshawar to Karachi. And Walton Academy would also be up-grade besides building a dry port at Havelian under this project, he added. He termed the approval as a big milestone for second phase of CPEC.

ML-1 to change destiny of country

Federal Minister for Railways Sheikh Rashid Ahmed on Saturday said the up-gradation of 1872 km railway track under ML-1 project would change the destiny of the country.

While talking to a private news channel, the federal minister said that under the project, the 1872 km Peshawar-Karachi track would be dualised for enhanced speed of 160km per hour. He told that its major portion would touch 70 percent population of the country which would be completed within 5 years through 90 percent financing by the Chinese government.

Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said the project was first signed by him as Railways Minister some sixteen years back, which was kept in cold storage by the successive governments.

To a question, he said now, work would be started on two to three portions of the project with target of one portion in one year. He also told that the Sindh portion, particularly at its Jacobabad station was in a very pathetic condition where sixty years old track was still under use. Even in some areas, we have changed the 200 years old track, he added.