Islamabad:Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has directed the relevant authorities to expedite the upgradation of the Main Line-1 (ML-1) project. He issued these directives during a meeting focused on reforms within Pakistan Railways and the ML-1 project.

According to Radio Pakistan, the Prime Minister emphasized the necessity of introducing corporate-style reforms to strengthen Pakistan Railways and improve its financial self-reliance. He praised the efforts of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and the Ministry of Railways for their work in identifying and recovering encroached railway lands.

Shehbaz Sharif highlighted the modernization of the ML-1 project as crucial for enhancing travel facilities and expanding freight transport. He instructed that the project should be executed on a commercial basis by utilizing the identified railway lands valued at billions of rupees.

The Prime Minister underlined the importance of tapping into the commercial potential of railway properties to support the national economy and the railway sector's development. He approved the use of railway land to secure bank funding for the ML-1 project through various commercial initiatives.

Shehbaz Sharif directed the authorities to present a comprehensive plan within two weeks, focusing on the commercial potential of railway land. The meeting was briefed on the division of the 1,726-kilometer ML-1 upgradation into four sections: Karachi-Rohri, Rohri-Multan, Multan-Lahore, and Lahore-Peshawar. International financing is being utilized for the Karachi-Rohri section, with plans for domestic resource financing for the other sections.

The meeting, attended by federal ministers and senior officials, also provided updates on the progress of the Karachi-Rohri section and matters related to railway-owned land.