Gwadar (TDI): The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is in advanced discussions to finance a $2 billion upgrade of Pakistan’s railway system, a move seen as critical for transporting copper output from the Reko Diq mine to Karachi.
The planned project involves modernizing a 500-kilometre stretch of track and bridges between Karachi and Rohri in Sindh, enabling faster train operations.
At Rohri, the line will connect to a branch under development from Balochistan’s Reko Diq, where Canada’s Barrick Gold is leading one of the world’s largest untapped copper and gold mining projects, Dawn reported.
Read More: ADB to Provide $410m Support for Reko Diq Project
ADB has already announced $410 million in financing for the Reko Diq mine itself, with its president scheduled to visit Islamabad next week. The mine is expected to start production in 2028, with an annual output of about 200,000 metric tons of copper concentrate.
Tim Cribb, Reko Diq’s project director, said the government and Barrick would jointly explore financing options for the branch line linking the mine to Rohri.
Read More: $6.4B Reko Diq Deal to Be Signed Next Month
Reko Diq represents Pakistan’s largest foreign investment in recent years and is seen as a strategic project for the country’s economic future.
Farkhund Yousafzai is an Associate Editor at The Diplomatic Insight.
