Railways to transport over 20 percent of freight business after completion of ML-I.

ISLAMABAD -- Pakistan Railways is expecting to transport over 20 percent of the country's freight business after the completion of Main Line-I (ML-I) under China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) which would help the department to make profitable entity. Currently, Pakistan Railways was transporting only four percent of freight traffic in the country which was not sufficient for the department, an official in the Ministry of Railways told reporter on Sunday.

He said that the ML-I had been planned to be executed in three packages, adding, preliminary design of the project has been completed and a formal request for the loan for Package-I has been conveyed to the Chinese side. ML-I is 1872-kilometer long track from Peshawar to Karachi and expected to create around 24,000 jobs and would jump up train speed to 160 kilometers per hour, he added.

He said that railway line would be upgraded from Karachi to Peshawar and Taxila to Havelian while a new track would be laid with improved sub grade for 160km per hour. Bridges will also be rehabilitated and constructed, he added.

Moreover, he...