Minister for Railways Muhammad Hanif Abbasi says ML-II project will be launched with an investment of two point five billion dollars in collaboration with the National Logistics Corporation and DP World.
He was talking to the media after inaugurating the upgraded platforms at Rawalpindi Railway Station.
Hanif Abbasi said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed that no negligence should be tolerated in the improvement of Pakistan Railways, especially in the restoration of tracks.
He highlighted a proposed 840-kilometre corridor connecting Chaman, Kandahar, Herat, and Turkmenistan, stating that achieving this target would link Pakistan with Central Asia.
The Minister termed the resumption of Jaffar Express and Bolan Express services in Balochistan a major success.
He also announced that a two-billion-dollar project for the 480-kilometre Karachi-Rohri section has been approved by the Asian Development Bank and is expected to commence by the end of July this year.
Providing an update on freight operations, the Minister said freight trains operating between Rohri and Karachi have increased from eight to ten daily.
He said that the Hazara Express has been upgraded and that all remaining trains will be upgraded by December this year.
The Minister said that an agreement has also been signed with the Frontier Works Organization for digitalization, under which every railway station will be made smart and secure.
Hanif Abbasi said significant improvements have been planned outside Lahore Railway Station, with two billion rupees allocated by Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz for the project.
He said that a safari train has been launched in Thar and that similar initiatives will be introduced wherever opportunities exist.
He said the legislation has been passed allowing provinces to invest in railway projects without facing any hurdles.
