A deadline of December 2018 has been set by the Punjab government for the construction of underground track of Orange Line Metro Train (OLMT) project.
However, the Orange Line train would start operating on the already completed tracks by the month of May. It may be noted that NESPAK has started construction of the underground phase of the project, starting from Lakshmi Chowk to Chuburji after the announcement of a reserved verdict by the apex court last month. Under the latest phase of development work, the contractors have started constructing an underground station near GPO Chowk that would lead to underground passage of a track beneath Mall Road to Chuburji Chowk.
Meanwhile, the train would keep operating on both sides of the track as interchanges have been constructed at the adjoining points of both ends of the underground track.
Orange Line is an automated rapid transit system under construction in Lahore. When operational in March 2018, the Orange Line will become Pakistan’s first metro rail line. The Orange line is the first of the three proposed rail lines for the Lahore Metro. The line will span over 27.1 km with 25.4 km elevated and 1.72 km underground. The line will be served by 26 stations and is expected to handle 250,000 passengers daily. Though it is frequently mentioned as a part of the wider China Pakistan Economic Corridor, the Orange Line is being financed by the government of Punjab. CRRC Zhuzhou Locomotive rolled out the first of 27 trains for the metro on 16 May 2017.
