The
China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (
CPEC) is an under construction $46 billion
megaproject which is intended to upgrade and expand
Pakistani infrastructure. The
Exim Bank of China will lend the
Government of Pakistan approximately $11 billion to overhaul the country's transportation infrastructure at heavily-subsidized concessionary loans with an interest rate of 1.6%. These projects will span the breadth and width of Pakistan, and will eventually link the Pakistani city of
Gwadar Port in southwestern to
China’s northwestern autonomous region of
Xinjiang via a vast network of
highways and
railways. As part of the project, an
1,100 kilometer long motorway will be constructed between the cities of
Karachi and
Lahore, which will connect to the already completed
M2 Motorway which runs between Lahore and
Islamabad. The
Karakoram Highway between Rawalpindi and the Chinese border will also be completely overhauled and widened. The
Karachi–Peshawar main railway line will also be completely overhauled to allow for train travel at up to 160 kilometers per hour, with expected completion by December 2019. Pakistan's railway network will also eventually be further developed in order to connect it to the Chinese railway network in Kashgar.