First Orange Line Metro train set to arrive this month from China

beijing — The first of 27 trains designed for Orange Line Metro in Lahore would be delivered by a Chinese company to the Punjab government at the end of this month, heralding an era of subways and light rail in Pakistan.

The train designed and manufactured under a framework agreement signed between China and Pakistan in April 2015 to build a rapid mass transit system in Lahore, had already rolled off the production line in central China’s Hunan province in May this year.

The remaining 26 trains will be handed over to the authorities by the end of the year, according to official sources here.

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 train with five coaches and designed specifically 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 constant high summer temperature in Pakistan, has been designed and installed in the train which would have maximum operation speed of around 80km per hour.

The design combines the national flower of Pakistan and the shape of the dome of the Badshahi mosque while heat-resistant bogies increase durability, said an engineer of the company.

The Metro project is being built with the same quality used for the high-speed railway linking Beijing and Shanghai, according to the project manager. The 26km 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 as well. — APP