Punjab CM Usman Buzdar inaugurates Orange Line Metro Train service in Lahore

Asim Bajwa and Chinese delegation participated in Orange Line Metro Train inauguration ceremony.

LAHORE (Dunya News) – Chief Minister of Punjab (CM) Sardar Usman Buzdar has inaugurated the Orange Line Metro Train (OLMT) – a China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project – in Lahore today (Sunday). According to details, CPEC authority chairman Retired Lt Gen Asim Saleem Bajwa and Chinese delegation also participated in the ceremony.

Addressing the inaugural ceremony, Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar said CPEC will further strengthen Pak China bilateral relations.

He thanked Chinese Government for extending support to provide world class transport facilities to the people of Lahore.

The CM invited Chinese companies and investors to invest in different sectors of the province. Installations and decorations at all 26 stations along 27.1 KM-long track have been completed. Automatic machines have been placed at the stations to check and recharge card balance. Ticket boxes have also been made for those who do not possess cards.

PML-N cuts ribbon to inaugurate Orange Line Metro Train project

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders have also expressed ecstasy over inauguration of the orange line train and said that the dream of party president Shehbaz Sharif has been fulfilled.  

PML-N seniors Saad Rafique, Malik Pervez, Ayaz Sadiq and others cut the ribbon and distributed sweets to express their happiness. Special prayers were also offered for the success of the ‘PMLN-initiated’ project.

In a statement, Marriyum Aurangzeb congratulated party president over inauguration and said that Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan must be embarrassed on launching a project that was started by then Punjab Punjab Shehbaz Sharif.

The one who provided best traveling services to the people of Pakistan is bearing unjust prison sentences, she added.

About the project

Orange Line was started on October 2, 2015 by the provincial government of PML-N – led by Shehbaz Sharif in the province – after securing USD 1.6 Billion loan from Exim Bank of China.

The project was to be completed in 27 months but due to stay order issued by the Lahore High Court and exponential increase in cost of project, work progressed slowly and will now be completed after a delay of two years.

The first train under the mass-transit project Orange Line Metro Train had hit the rails for the trial run in December, 2019.

The incumbent government of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)  has decided to run the train on electricity. The train will run on electricity even when fully operational which will significantly increase burden on national exchequer as well as OMLT will use electricity allocated for residents of Lahore.

Power houses have been constructed on the track of train, UET and Multan Road station will receive 54 MW of electricity each. For smooth running of Metro Bus and Orange Train Mass Transit Authority has demanded 108 MW of electricity from LESCO; which was fulfilled by LESCO. LESCO will use fours circuits of 132KV to provide uninterrupted supply of electricity to Orange Train.

LESCO will charge Rs13 per unit from Orange Train, according to this tariff Orange Train will consume electricity of Rs1.10 Billion monthly and over Rs13 billion annually.

According to experts 108 MW of electricity provided by LESCO is equal to usage of 150,000 homes in Lahore. On the other hand, LESCO Chief Executive Mujahid Pervaiz said that supply of 108MW of electricity to Orange train will not affect common consumers.

The maximum speed of the train is 80 km/h, but the train will run at an average speed of 34.8 km/h.

The Orange Line train will run from 07:30 AM to 08:30 PM and its fare has been fixed at Rs 40. People have expressed happiness over completion of the project and said they will enjoy a comfortable journey on the OMLT.

It will pass through the congested areas of the city where more than 250,000 passengers will travel on a daily basis through this facility.