Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal on Saturday chaired a meeting on key Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) projects in the railways, highways, and water sectors in Islamabad.
During the meeting, member Infrastructure Dr Waqas Anwer gave a detailed presentation on the progress, scope, and funding requirements of priority projects, while senior officials from the Ministry of Railways, National Highway Authority (NHA), and Ministry of Water Resources were also present.
While reviewing railway sector initiatives, the Planning Minister was briefed on the status of the Main Line-1 (ML-1) project, particularly the Karachi–Rohri section, for which groundwork is expected to begin in July 2026.
The meeting also reviewed the upgradation of 884 kilometres of Main Line-3 (ML-3) and the Thar Coal Railway Connectivity Project, a strategic initiative aimed at improving logistics for energy supply and industrial development.
The Thar Coal Railway Connectivity Project, with an estimated cost of Rs53.7 billion, consists of three packages, including construction of a new single-track railway line from the Thar coal mines to the new Chorr station over a distance of 105 kilometres, a new double-track line of approximately nine kilometres from Bin Qasim to Port Qasim, while Package Three covers the development of a coal unloading pit at Port Qasim and Lakhra Power Plant station. The project is expected to be completed by June 2026.
Ahsan Iqbal directed the Ministry of Railways to submit a clear assessment of funding requirements for the next three years, stressing that “there should be no compromise on speed and quality in any of these strategic projects, as they represent long-term national assets and must be built to the highest standards.”
The meeting also reviewed the National Highway Authority’s portfolio under PSDP 2025–26, which comprises 71 projects with a total cost of approximately Rs3,407 billion.
The Minister directed that the Sukkur–Hyderabad Motorway be completed within three years and be treated as a top-priority project. He further instructed that the work on the Karakoram Highway (KKH) phase 2 project should be expedited and completed by 2028 to save KKH from being cut off due to the Diamer Bhasha Dam lake.
