ML-1 railway project: Pakistan, China likely to sign agreement in August

[Edevelop]

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and China are likely to sign an agreement for Main Line-1 (ML-1) railway project in the first week of August, citing sources, ARY News reported on Friday.

Informed sources privy to the development told ARY News that Pakistan and China finalised the financing matters for the Main Line-1 (ML-1) railway project.

In October 2020, Pakistan and China had agreed to start a $10 billion Mainline-1 (ML-1) railway project from Karachi to Peshawar and extending CPEC’s scope from government-to-government to business-to-business cooperation.


Sources added that the agreement for the ML-1 project will be signed between Pakistan and China in the first week of August. The ambitious project will be completed at the cost of $6.5 billion under the agreement which was reduced from $8 billion.

Pakistan will provide 15% financing for the project. Sources told ARY News that Pakistan urged to reduce the cost of the ML-1 project.

READ: PM Shehbaz Sharif directs upgrading ML-1 project

The ML-1 project aims upgrading and doubling of the 1733-kilometre railway track from Karachi to Peshawar besides the installation of modern signaling and telecom systems. The upgradation of the railway tracks will enable the trains to run at 140kilometres per hour.

For reducing its cost, the fencing plan of entire railway track was postponed and the tracks will be fenced on in populated areas.

In the first phase, overhead bridges will be constructed and railway crossings will be closed in populated areas.

Pakistan and China had signed the Main Line-1 (ML-1) framework in May 2017 and the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) approved the project in August 2020.

Earlier in the month, Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafique said that the work on ML-1 project will begin by the end of this year.

He said the talks on ML-I project have moved ahead and hoped that an agreement on the project will be finalized by the end of current year.

ML-1 railway project: Pakistan, China likely to sign agreement in August

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and China are likely to sign an agreement for Main Line-1 (ML-1) railway project in the first week of August, citing sources, ARY News

arynews.tv

 

[ziaulislam]

First it will be disaster not fencing it
Second it needs to be electric

 

[Edevelop]

First it will be disaster not fencing it
Second it needs to be electric

To reduce the cost they said fencing will be done only in populated areas. I suppose that makes the most sense provided other sections are overhead or go through rural areas.

Expect the project to be similar to the one Chinese built in Kenya and Ethiopia.

Agree. It needs to be electric but I doubt it will happen initially due to costs. Back in 2021 the ministry agreed to electrify the line in the long term CPEC plan (In 2030 and beyond which will cost another $2B).

Ministry agrees with electric traction option of ML-I

ISLAMABAD - The Ministry of Railways (MOR) principally agrees with electric traction (ET) option of ML-I saying the option can be

www.nation.com.pk

Keeping in view of rail connectivity to Iran, Turkey, Afghanistan and Central Asian Republics, they should at least convert the ML-1 from broad guage to standard guage otherwise it would be useless.

 

[ziaulislam]

To reduce the cost they said fencing will be done only in populated areas. I suppose that makes the most sense provided other sections are overhead or go through rural areas.

Expect the project to be similar to the one Chinese built in Kenya and Ethiopia.

Agree. It needs to be electric but I doubt it will happen initially due to costs. Back in 2021 the ministry agreed to electrify the line in the long term CPEC plan (In 2030 and beyond which will cost another $2B).

Ministry agrees with electric traction option of ML-I

ISLAMABAD - The Ministry of Railways (MOR) principally agrees with electric traction (ET) option of ML-I saying the option can be

www.nation.com.pk

Keeping in view of rail connectivity to Iran, Turkey, Afghanistan and Central Asian Republics, they should at least convert the ML-1 from broad guage to standard guage otherwise it would be useless.

It's stupid not to make it electric better build only partial line from Lahore to Karachi and make it electric if they don't have the money

We can't afford a diesel based system

Also fencing is most as all of it goes through populated area

 

[Edevelop]

Just for reference this is how China built railways in Kenya and Ethiopia looks like. The Kenyan one looks to be diesel run and Ethiopian electric. They both have a maximum speed of 120km/h. Ours on the other hand is reported to be in the range of 140-160km/h

 

[Maula Jatt]

It's a great project but ziaulsalam is right - there's no point of this project if it's not electrified

To reduce the cost they said fencing will be done only in populated areas. I suppose that makes the most sense provided other sections are overhead or go through rural areas.

Expect the project to be similar to the one Chinese built in Kenya and Ethiopia.

Agree. It needs to be electric but I doubt it will happen initially due to costs. Back in 2021 the ministry agreed to electrify the line in the long term CPEC plan (In 2030 and beyond which will cost another $2B).

Ministry agrees with electric traction option of ML-I

ISLAMABAD - The Ministry of Railways (MOR) principally agrees with electric traction (ET) option of ML-I saying the option can be

www.nation.com.pk

Keeping in view of rail connectivity to Iran, Turkey, Afghanistan and Central Asian Republics, they should at least convert the ML-1 from broad guage to standard guage otherwise it would be useless.

You know why ML-1 is a great project? - cause from Karachi to peshawar all of it is densely populated area- that's where most of Pakistan lives

Fencing and electric based rail line is essential - especially electric
Cut down other parts of cpec to make sure we get this right as it's so important

Eastern Punjab, Gandharan valley/peshawar valley, and Sindh along the Indus

 

[ziaulislam]

It's a great project but ziaulsalam is right - there's no point of this project if it's not electrified


You know why ML-1 is a great project? - cause from Karachi to peshawar all of it is densely populated area- that's where most of Pakistan lives

Fencing and electric based rail line is essential - especially electric
Cut down on other parts of cpec to make sure we get this right as it's so important

Eastern Punjab, Gandharan valley/peshawar valley, and Sindh along the Indus
View attachment 942223
View attachment 942224

Unfortunately PMLN is notorious for bulldozing projects without common sense

This is probably will be another bulldozed project!

We already saw sahiwal project and some pretty expensive hydro IPPs (bulldozed without thinking)

But then we also nuclear plants (great negotiating there)

 

[Maula Jatt]

Unfortunately PMLN is notorious for bulldozing projects without common sense

This is probably will be another bulldozed project!

We already saw sahiwal project and some pretty expensive hydro IPPs (bulldozed without thinking)

But then we also nuclear plants (great negotiating there)

Yes great job with nuclear plant (unlike sahiwal, IPPs and Lahore Metro train (not bus)- we didn't need that crap- focus on cheap electric buses for public transportation as of now)
We desperately need public transportation but within our budget

https://twitter.com/x/status/1682756312877105153

 

[Edevelop]

It's a great project but ziaulsalam is right - there's no point of this project if it's not electrified


You know why ML-1 is a great project? - cause from Karachi to peshawar all of it is densely populated area- that's where most of Pakistan lives

Fencing and electric based rail line is essential - especially electric
Cut down other parts of cpec to make sure we get this right as it's so important

Eastern Punjab, Gandharan valley/peshawar valley, and Sindh along the Indus
View attachment 942223
View attachment 942224

I mean ideally they should make it electric. Again based on facts reported in 2021 they said it would be part of the long term plan in the 2030s and beyond. I suppose at the moment they just want to get on building something, particularly the tracks as soon as possible to avoid escalation of costs. Until such upgrades, you could say it could be a railways run on diesel just like America and Canada.

 

[Maula Jatt]

I mean ideally they should make it electric. Again based on facts reported in 2021 they said it would be part of the long term plan in the 2030s and beyond. I suppose at the moment they just want to get on building something, particularly the tracks as soon as possible to avoid escalation of costs. Until such upgrades, you could say it could be a railways run on diesel just like America and Canada.

We are not a rich oil producing country

 

[Edevelop]

We are not a rich oil producing country

Certainly we are not. What are the options then? Spend another $2-3 billion to electrify the line now or wait until you upgrade the line to acceptable standards, generate some revenue particularly from freight business, and then go for upgrades? To my understanding they want to do the latter.

 

[Ahmadbhutta01]

Wow wow , a lone Russian tank took over 8 vehicles of Ukrainian and destroyed them all , all alone
Talk about the legends

https://twitter.com/x/status/1685212477145874432

https://twitter.com/x/status/1685236482187862017

And u want to fight with these Russians ? LOL

Can anyone identify the 8 armored vehicles and tanks destroyed by a lone Russian tank ?

 

[maithil]

China's Railway projects in Ethiopia and Kenya have been stellar success for those countries. Hoping the same for Pakistan.

 

[ziaulislam]

Yes great job with nuclear plant (unlike sahiwal, IPPs and Lahore Metro train (not bus)- we didn't need that crap- focus on cheap electric buses for public transportation as of now)
We desperately need public transportation but within our budget

https://twitter.com/x/status/1682756312877105153

to be fair anyone can get cheap nuclear deal from china since it really wants to establish itself as nuclear supplier

Certainly we are not. What are the options then? Spend another $2-3 billion to electrify the line now or wait until you upgrade the line to acceptable standards, generate some revenue particularly from freight business, and then go for upgrades? To my understanding they want to do the latter.

spend now as 1b will be saving annually just on fuel cost it self and we have surplus power problem as well, environment and imports substitution is another issue