By Muhammad Luqman
First shipment of coaches manufactured in China for much delayed Lahore Orange Metro Train has been dispatched from the Chinese port of Shanghai and it is likely to reach Pakistani port of Karachi by mid September and later Lahore by the end of next month.
“Arrangements for parking of the consignment of coaches at Dera Gujran Depot are being finalized,” says Khawaja Ahmad Hassaan, Advisor to Chief Minister of Pakistan’s Punjab province.
This consignment was earlier due in July but rescheduled for September.
Punjab government believes that Pakistan may suffer a loss of billions of rupees due to delay in the completion of Rs45 billion Orange Line Metro Train project as a number of cases are pending against the project in the superior courts.
The deadline for completion of the project is December 25, 2017, which is unlikely to be met due to pendency of cases in the superior courts. The Chinese government has also expressed concern over delay in the project.
Commitment charges of approximately $5 million will be imposed on Pakistan annually. Dispute in connection with the Loan Agreement, if not resolved through friendly consultation, shall be referred to the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC) for arbitration.
The Orange Line, when completed, will be Pakistan’s first modern rail-based mass rapid transit transit system, and will be a fully automated and driverless system. It will be Lahore’s second rapid transit line, after the Lahore Metrobus, which was completed in February 2013.
