‘One-third of orange train project completed’

LAHORE

One-third of civil work on the Orange Line Metro Train project (OLMT) has been completed so far and hopefully it would be concluded by the end of the current year.

This was stated by Kh Ahmad Hassan, chairman of the steering committee of OLMT, while chairing a meeting on Wednesday to review the progress on the project.

He said that construction of bridges on railway lines from Ring Road to Dera Gujjran had been started. He said that land had been acquired for establishment of electric sub-station near Shah Noor Studio on Multan Road and negotiation had entered final phase with Railways to get land near UET,GT Road, for another electric station. He said that civil work on Package -I from Dera Gujjran to Chuburji had been completed up to 39.3 percent, on Package -II from Chuburji to Ali Town 33.4 percent, Package-III construction of yard 28 percent while work on Package -IV of construction of depot had been completed up to 29.7 percent.

He said that after its inauguration, the train would provide safe, efficient and economic mode of transport initially to 300,000 passengers daily through the densely populated and busy commercial areas of the provincial metropolis while the number of passangers would increase to 500,000 daily within the next three years.

Kh Ahmad Hassan directed the representatives of various utility services departments for chalking out and implementing a SOP for completely shifting the remaining services especially hospitals and schools. He urged them to utilise alternative sources for ensuring uninterrupted supply of electricity, water, sui gas and other such services for saving patients, students and general public from inconvenience at these places. MPA Ch Shahbaz, Lahore Commissioner Abdullah Sunbal, DCO Muhammad Usman, CTO Tayyab Hafiz Cheema, LDA Chief Engineer Asrar Saeed, Wasa MD Ch Naseer Ahmad and other officers concerned attended the meeting.