ISLAMABAD: The huge investment in Pakistan Railways under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) will connect the remote areas of the country with the main cities and important trade routes to ensure rapid socio-economic growth, WealthPK reports.
An effective railway network is essential for the promotion of commerce and trade as well as the development of rural and urban areas of the country. A modern railway system can help traders save their time and reduce the cost of transportation.
Besides the development of other infrastructures and industrialisation, one of the main objectives of CPEC is improving transportation facilities in Pakistan. Better transportation facilities can boost economic growth.
A hefty amount of $8.6 billion has been allocated for the renovation and upgradation of Pakistan Railways under CPEC. It manifests the importance of the railway sector in this gamechanger project.
Currently, Pakistan’s rail network consists of three main lines ML-1, ML-2 and ML-3. Peshawar is the starting point of ML-1, which ends at Karachi through Lahore. The total length of this route is 1,681 kilometres. The ML-2 route connects Attock with Kotri. The total length of this route is 1,243 kilometres. The ML-3 starts from Rohri and ends at Thaftan, covering 966 kilometres.
Keeping in view the global economic situation, the member countries of the Central Asia Regional and Economic Cooperation Programme need to further strengthen regional cooperation and make more efforts for integration. Investment in the railway sector and other measures to enhance trade will make Pakistan Railways the first choice for traders and entrepreneurs to transport their goods and export items. Better railway connectivity and enhanced trade among the neighbouring countries will usher in a new era of development and prosperity and the entire region will benefit from it.
The huge investment in the railway sector of Pakistan will help in boosting the national economy and enhancing economic activities in the country.
The proposed railway tracks under CPEC will connect not only the remote areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan with each other and big cities of the country but will also prove helpful for Pakistan to enhance the volume of trade with the whole of South Asia.
Under the multibillion-dollar CPEC project, several important railway tracks will be set up, including 1,050-kilometre Gwadar-Basima-Jacobabad, 628-kilometre Havelian-Khunjerab and 700-kilometre Karachi-Gwadar railway tracks. In addition, the 959-kilometre Havelian to Jacobabad railway track will be upgraded.
The renovation of the 1,736-kilometre Peshawar-Lahore-Karachi track, which is also part of CPEC, will boost tourism, generate revenue to strengthen the economy and provide vast opportunities to people of the area to earn their livelihood.
According to the United Nations Development Programme, future socio-economic growth depends upon improvements in road and rail infrastructure that provide connectivity to support industrial development and help people make easier access to schools, hospitals, sanitation and other services.
“The renovation and upgradation of railway infrastructure in Pakistan under CPEC will increase the access of people to basic amenities and services including health, water and energy in the remote areas of the country,” an expert told WealthPK.
