Pakistan’s Punjab government is all set to receive the first Orange
Line Metro in Lahore by July this year.
A total of 27 Orange Line trains will be handed over to Punjab
government and the first train is reaching Lahore by July 2017,
according to Chinese media.
The Orange Line Metro Train is all set to run on 27-kilometres track
in December 2017.
China and Pakistan signed a framework agreement in April 2015 to build
the Orange Line of a rapid mass transit system in Punjab’s provincial
capital, Lahore. The system, the first large rail transit project
within the framework of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC),
was contracted by a consortium, composed of China Railway Corporation
and China North Industries Corporation. The first train rolled off the
production line in central China’s Hunan province last week.
The train, with five coaches designed for the 25.58km Orange Line
Metro, is being produced by CRRC Zhuzhou Locomotive Co Ltd. An
energy-saving air-conditioning system, suitable for the high summer
temperatures in Pakistan, has been designed and installed on the
train, which would have maximum operation speed of around 80km/h.
The design of the train is inspired by the country’s national flower
and the shape of the dome of the Badshahi mosque, and it has
heat-resistant bogies that will increase durability.
The Metro is being built in accordance with the same quality
requirements for high-speed railway linking Beijing and Shanghai, said
project manager Wang Feng, adding the train ride would be extremely
smooth.
The 26-kilometre line will have 26 stations, two of which will be underground.
Adopting Chinese standards, the project will use China-made metro cars
and mechatronic systems.
