By Muhammad Luqman
The first shipment of rolling stock for Lahore Orange Line Metro Train (LOMT), which had arrived Pakistan from China last week, has been dispatched to Lahore from Karachi and is expected to reach eastern city of Pakistan next week.
A special ceremony is being arranged on October 7 at Dera Gujjra depot to celebrate the arrival of first set of coaches, Advisor to the Punjab chief minister and Chairman of the steering committee for LOMT Project Khawaja Ahmad Haassan said.
Some 23 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.
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 earlier deadline for completion of the project was December 25, 2017. But due to pendency of cases in the superior courts, the deadline is not going to be met. 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.
