Anvwar Asian Investments (AAI), An Oman-based project financing group has made a bid to invest in a train line that will connect Gwadar to Pakistan’s main railway system.
The officials of AAI met with the representatives of Pakistan’s Board of Investment (BOI) last month where they expressed the interest to develop a 1,087 km railway line worth $2.3 billion between Gwadar and Jacobabad.
The initial financing for this project provided by the AAI will be $500 million. If implemented, the proposed multibillion-dollar investment will provide a stable solution for Gwadar’s lack of rail connectivity with the rest of the country.
Despite being the centre of China’s Belt Road Initiative (BRI), the port city is not linked with any train lines. Once implemented, the project has the potential to make Gwadar and its Chinese-made and operated seaport more accessible.
According to the President of Gwadar’s Rural Community Development, Nasir Sohrabi, the port desperately needs a strong railway network to be successful.
The interesting thing to note here is that AAI is not the only group willing to invest in the development of a railway network in Gwadar. Another Singaporean company called Pathfinder, has also expressed its interest to invest $5 billion to develop a high-speed rail network from Gwadar to Hub.
Currently, the federal government is assessing both the offers.