Pakistan plans $2.5 billion Karachi-Rohri railway upgrade

Pakistan Railways plans to begin work on a $2.5 billion project to build a new 480-kilometre railway track between Karachi and Rohri in January 2027. The

Pakistan Railways plans to begin work on a $2.5 billion project to build a new 480-kilometre railway track between Karachi and Rohri in January 2027. The project will form the first phase of the Main Line-1 (ML-1) upgrade and aims to improve railway safety, reduce derailments and modernise the country’s ageing rail infrastructure.

Railways Minister Hanif Abbasi informed the National Assembly on Thursday that preparations were under way to meet the timeline set by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. These include consultations with potential investors, pre-bid preparations and other preliminary work.

The Karachi-Rohri section has been selected as the first phase because it is among the most accident-prone stretches of the railway network. The Rohri-Multan section has also experienced frequent accidents. Deteriorating tracks have contributed to derailments and require repeated, expensive repairs.

Abbasi told lawmakers that Pakistan Railways recorded 349 train derailments between January 2022 and September 2026. Faulty tracks were identified as the main cause, while 95 incidents were attributed to staff errors and 64 to defects in rolling stock. Investigations into 331 derailments had been completed, while 120 cases remained pending.

During the session, the National Assembly also received updates on public health measures. National Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal said Islamabad recorded seven confirmed dengue cases between June and September 2026, with no deaths reported. Authorities registered 214 first information reports over violations of anti-dengue standard operating procedures and carried out preventive measures against mosquito larvae at more than 1.293 million sites.

Lawmakers were also informed that a national strategy to combat HIV had been developed for 2026-2031. Meanwhile, a programme offering free hepatitis C screening, diagnosis and treatment to eligible people aged 12 and above was under way. In Islamabad, 40 health centres were providing services under the initiative.

The house also received the Privatisation Commission (Amendment) Bill 2026 and the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Amendment) Ordinance 2026. A standing committee report on the Islamabad Local Government (Amendment) Bill 2026 was presented, while the National Assembly passed the Life Insurance Nationalisation (Amendment) Bill 2026.