Federal Minister for Railways, Muhammad Hanif Abbasi, along with the senior management of Railways, arrived at Karachi Port Trust (KPT). They were welcomed by KPT Chairman, Rear Admiral Atiqur Rehman Abid, Sitara Imtiaz Military, upon their arrival. The senior management team of KPT was also present during this visit. The purpose of the Railways delegation’s visit was to discuss the progress of the Dedicated Freight Corridor, the renovation of the East and West Ward Yard, and various operational issues.
Chairman KPT, Rear Admiral Atiqur Rehman Abid, briefed Minister Abbasi and his team on matters concerning KPT and railways. During the meeting, Minister Abbasi expressed his gratitude to Chairman KPT Admiral Atiqur Rehman and the KPT management, appreciating their hospitality. In turn, Chairman KPT praised the role of Railways in managing the port’s cargo.
Minister Abbasi informed the attendees that they are currently working on the Main Line-1 (ML-1) project, which has received approval from the Punjab Government. He announced plans to inaugurate the project from Karachi Cantt Station in June 2026. Additionally, the Reko Diq project is anticipated to mature in 2028. The Minister further stated that reaching Mazar-e-Sharif would enable connections to Europe and Central Asia, with a budget of 10 billion allocated for this purpose.
Chairman KPT, Rear Admiral Atiqur Rehman, acknowledged the efforts of Railways, noting that Karachi Port is committed to transit trade, which Railways can effectively facilitate. During the briefing, he informed Minister Abbasi that Karachi Port is currently handling only 50 percent of its capacity due to road traffic limitations. He emphasized that a modern railway system could help address this issue.
The KPT Chairman also provided details about the KPT Bulk Cargo Terminal and discussed last year’s record cargo handling at KPT. Regarding the Dedicated Freight Corridor, he explained that the 52-kilometer railway corridor will connect the logistics park at Pipri Marshalling Yard with East and West Waro. He stated that the first phase of this project has been finalized, with KPT serving as an assistant to Railways, which would benefit the KPT terminals and increase port revenue. Chairman of Railways, Syed Mazhar Ali Shah, mentioned that discussions are ongoing with the terminals concerning the second phase of the project.
The KPT Chairman informed the Federal Minister that a No Objection Certificate (NOC) was requested from Railways for the second phase, which has not yet been received. He added that KPT had provided 64 acres of land in Maripur to the Railways in 1964 for the Karachi Circular Railways project, which was ultimately scrapped in 1998. Unfortunately, this land was later misused for commercial purposes. After the meeting, the Railways delegation, led by KPT Chairman Rear Admiral Atiqur Rehman Abid, visited the Karachi Gateway Terminal and the South Asia Pakistan Terminals. The railway delegation was given an inspection tour of Karachi Port operations via a harbor ferry cruise.
