Pakistan, China to divide ML-1 Railway project into two phases

ISLAMABAD (PEN) : Pakistan and China have agreed to split the $6.8 billion Main Line-1 (ML-1) railway project into two phases. Phase I, valued at $3.2 billion, will begin next month and cover the Karachi-Hyderabad-Multan section, while Phase II will extend from Multan to Peshawar, with a feasibility study to follow Phase I’s completion. Separate agreements will govern each phase, with Pakistan seeking a low-interest loan from China for Phase I. The ML-1 project, a major CPEC initiative, spans 1,872 kilometers and was divided due to its large scale and cost, reflecting an earlier decision by the PML-N government.