ML-1 project to create 150,000 job opportunities: Sheikh Rasheed

Railways Minister Sheikh Rasheed said on Saturday that the Main Line – One (ML-I) project will help in creating job opportunities in the country and a preliminary agreement between Pakistan and China will be signed during the upcoming visit of Prime Minister Imran Khan to Beijing., Radio Pakistan reported.
The minister said that the project will provide 150,000 job opportunities.
He added that after the completion of the project, the travel time from Lahore to Karachi will be reduced to eight hours. “The speed of ML-I trains will be 160 km/hr, at least,” he added.
Pakistan, China to amend railways ML-1 agreement
The minister also informed that work on Quetta – Taftan ML-3 will also begin soon.
According to him, the railway budget has been discussed and will be finalised on April 24.
Rasheed said that China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and the railway department were the backbone of Pakistan’s economy. “There is international conspiracy involved in creating difficulties for the railways department,” he added.
Regarding the recent cabinet reshuffle, the minister claimed that only one minister was expelled while Asad Umar resigned himself. He added that he would ask Asad Umar to stay in the federal cabinet.
Pakistan and China have agreed to amend a framework agreement on implementation of ML-I project in a bid to reduce the size of the much-delayed strategically important scheme and to complete it in three phases.
The decision to split the project, which was once planned to be completed in three years, suggests that work on the single-largest project of CPEC will now take at least six years to complete – from the day of its groundbreaking.

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