Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad has said that the nation will soon hear the good news about ML-1 and the project agreement is hopefully be signed on May 10, 2020.

"Once this project is completed, all manned and unmanned level-crossing will be abolished," said the minister while talking to the media at the Railways Headquarters on Saturday. All the unmanned or manned level crossings would be turned into under passes or overhead bridges under this project while train would be run at a speed of 160 kilometres per hour. He said PC-1 regarding ML-1 has been submitted to the planning ministry.

After attending a meeting to review the railway accident in Sukkur Division near Rohri the other day, the minister said that accident happened apparently due to negligence of the bus driver. He said the driver tried to cross the railways track through unmanned level crossing instead of overhead bridge.

He said he would request the Chief Minister Sindh to release funds to railways for installing gates on all unmanned level crossings as it is responsibility of the provincial government. He said there were about 3,000 unmanned level crossings in the country from Karachi to Peshawar.

He said that five new freight trains would be introduced before June 30, adding that new coaches and trains were arriving in the country and 75 percent old coaches would be upgraded. He said coal special trains would start from Faisalabad, Chishtian, Wazirabad, Kundian and Jia Bagga.

He said, "Prime Minister Imran Khan had called him for a briefing on the Railways matters and a special meeting would be held at the Prime Minister's House on Sunday". Sheikh Rashid vowed that the PR would be made a profitable department in five years.

Sheikh Rashid said that fencing would be made along track under ML-1 project and railways would try to ensure plantation along the fence. He said the institution was working for selling of Hayyat Regency and other properties in the light of orders of the Supreme Court as well as tendering about giving royal palm on lease. He said that they could not give any railway property on lease for more than five years.

He said Pak-Iran border is closed because of fear of spread of coronavirus and passenger and freight train on this route will be restored soon after opening of the border. To a question, he said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was working on Hindutva agenda and crushing Muslims like Hitler and Mussolini. He said life of Muslims in India had been made difficult under a plan by the ruling party.