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Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed Pakistan Railways to speed up the upgrade of the Main Line-1 (ML-1) railway project and implement corporate-style reforms. The ML-1, spanning 1,726 kilometers from Karachi to Peshawar, is a crucial infrastructure project aimed at enhancing freight and passenger services. Shehbaz emphasized the commercial potential of railway lands worth billions of rupees, instructing officials to secure bank financing through these properties for the project's development. The meeting discussed dividing the ML-1 upgrade into four sections, with international funding secured for the first phase between Karachi and Rohri/Sukkur, set to begin civil work in January 2027.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-07,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed authorities to accelerate work on the Main Line-1 (ML-1) railway upgrade from Karachi to Peshawar. The ML-1 project aims to enhance freight and passenger connectivity by laying new tracks over a 480km section between Karachi and Rohri/Sukkur, along with installing fencing to prevent unauthorized access. Sharif also called for corporate-style reforms in Pakistan Railways, including the use of railway land worth billions of rupees for commercial purposes to boost economic development. The PM appreciated the work by teams from the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and the Ministry of Railways in identifying and recovering encroached railway land.
Written for “Pakistan Railways Reform” on 2026-10-07,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The model judged this article politically coded and scored it +0.35, but 1 quote(s) could not be found in the article and the other 1 are attributed speech rather than the article's own narration, so the score is not published.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score withheld for article 62312: no verified evidence · logged 2026-10-07
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday directed authorities to accelerate work on the Main Line-1 (ML-1) railway upgrade and introduce corporate-style reforms in Pakistan Railways.
asserted
Sharif → direct → Railways
The ML-1 project aims to upgrade and modernise key infrastructure to enhance freight and passenger connectivity from Karachi to Peshawar.
asserted
project → aim → Peshawar
Presiding over a meeting on Pakistan Railways on Wednesday, the prime minister appreciated the efforts of teams from the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and the Ministry of Railways, led by the NAB chairman, to identify and recover encroached railway land, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said.
asserted
Office → preside → land
“Modernising ML-1 is of key importance for the development of Pakistan Railways, improving passenger services and increasing freight transport,” he was quoted as saying.
asserted
he → modernise → transport
The prime minister directed that ML-1 be developed on a commercial basis by utilising identified railway land worth billions of rupees.
asserted
ML-1 → direct → rupees
“The real commercial potential of railway properties needs to be harnessed,” he said, calling for the effective use of valuable railway land for commercial purposes to contribute to the national economy and the development of Pakistan Railways.
asserted
he → need → Railways
He said corporate-style reforms to strengthen the railways and make it economically self-sufficient were among the government’s priorities.
asserted
it → say → priorities
He added that the railway minister was working to make the organisation profitable and improve its operations.
asserted
organisation → add → operations
PM Shehbaz, during the meeting, approved securing bank financing through commercial projects on railway land and utilising the funds for the project.
asserted
Shehbaz → approve → project
He directed authorities to present a comprehensive plan within two weeks based on the actual commercial potential of railway land.
asserted
He → direct → land
The meeting was informed that the 1,726-kilometre ML-1 upgrade had been divided into four major sections: Karachi-Rohri, Rohri-Multan, Multan-Lahore and Lahore-Peshawar.
asserted
upgrade → inform → sections
International financing was being used for the Karachi-Rohri section, while plans were being prepared to finance the remaining sections through domestic resources, the meeting was told.
asserted
meeting → use → resources
Officials briefed the meeting on various stages of the ML-1 project, progress on the Karachi-Rohri section and railway-owned land, as per the PMO.
asserted
Officials → brief → PMO
Civil work on the first phase of the ML-1 is likely to begin in January 2027.
asserted
work → begin → January
It 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.
asserted
tracks → cover → people
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 population centres and industrial zones.
asserted
project → expect → centres
Last week, after extensive consultations with the government, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) said it was finalising a $1.1 billion investment programme to improve the efficiency, safety and sustainability of railway transport along ML-1 between Karachi and Rohri by 2040.
asserted
it → say → 2040
The multi-tranche ADB facility will support the upgrading of the Karachi-Rohri section of ML-1.
asserted
facility → support → ML-1
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