First Orange Train to reach Lahore next week

LAHORE :The first shipment of rolling stock for Lahore Orange Line Metro Train, which had arrived Pakistan from China last week, has been dispatched to Lahore from Karachi and is expected to reach here next week.

Adviser to the chief minister, and chairman of steering committee for Lahore Orange Line Metro Train Project (LOMTP), Khawaja Ahmad Hassaan has announced arranging a special ceremony on the 7th of October at Dera Gujran depot for celebrating the arrival of first set of train.

Presiding over a weekly progress review meeting here on Wednesday, he informed that the Chinese contractor CR-NORINCO has released the schedule for the arrival of locomotives for the train in Lahore. Twenty-three train sets will arrive Lahore by the end of this year and coaches for all the 27 trains will be available in Lahore by the mid of March 2018.

The meeting was informed that laying of track for the train was also in progress and so far four kilometers long track has been laid from Dera Gujran to Pakistan Mint. Electrical escalators have been installed at five stations at Islam Park, Salamat Pura, Mehmood Booti and Pakistan Mint for providing access to the passengers from road to the elevated platform of the train. Work for this purpose at other locations was in full swing.

The meeting was told that construction of four sheds was currently underway at depot at Dera Gujran while 15 tracks have already been constructed for parking trains. Installation of equipment and signalling system was being done by CR-NORINCO for finalising all arrangements before the arrival of first consignment of rolling stock.

The meeting was informed that 74.5 percent of the civil work on Lahore Orange Line Metro Train Project has so far been completed. Progress on package-I from Dera Gujran, GT Road to Chouburji was 86.2 percent, on package-II from Chouburji to Ali Town was 53.5 percent, on depot near Dera Gujran was 79.3 percent while on stabling yard near Ali Town it was 75.3 percent.

Khawaja Ahmad Hassaan directed for taking the project as a challenge by executing work on fast track and setting short timelines for accomplishing various tasks. He concluded by directing the civil and E&M contractors for increasing labour force for this purpose for completing the project as per deadline.