Karachi, 22 January 2026: A ten-member high level Reconnaissance Mission of subject matter experts from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), led by Mr. Suenghyun Kim, Senior Transport Specialist, visited the Karachi Port Trust (KPT) to review existing and future Port–Rail connectivity and to assess related logistics infrastructure. The delegation was welcomed by Chairman KPT, Rear Admiral Shahid Ahmed, SI(M), S.Bt (Retd).
The delegation was briefed on KPT’s cargo-handling strengths, its role as Pakistan’s Maritime Gateway, and the port’s strategic connectivity requirements for efficient inland cargo movement. Discussions also covered KPT’s ongoing and planned development initiatives aimed at enhancing operational efficiency in respect of dredging and increasing draught depth and strengthening multimodal integration with terminal operators.
Chairman KPT highlighted that, at present, the cargo from Karachi Port is transported through road trailers, leading to acute urban congestion and elevated road-safety risks due to heavy traffic. While KPT’s cargo-handling operations at the port functions round-the-clock, whilst the movement of trailers out of the port is restricted until after 11:00 PM (near midnight), creating critical bottleneck in cargo transshipment.Under the ML-1 framework—Karachi Port would be positioned to dispatch containerised and bulk cargo on 24/7 basis.
The delegation also discussed project impacts, noting that major beneficiaries of enhanced port–rail integration will include South Asia Pakistan Terminals Limited (SAPTL), Karachi Gateway Terminal (KGTL) and Karachi Gateway Multipurpose Terminal (KGMTL), supporting higher throughput and improve operational efficiency.
ADB reaffirms its intent to align as a development partner with the Government of Pakistan, with the Karachi–Rohri rail corridor identified as the first priority project. Following earlier engagements with the government, this reconnaissance mission represents ADB’s initial step toward revitalizing rail connectivity to Pakistan’s ports.
Later, the delegation also visited the existing facility of Karachi Port, including the terminal operators, to conclude the proceeding of the day.
