First Metro train from China is due in July

beijing — Pakistan will say goodbye to light rail as the first of 27 trains, designed for Orange Line Metro in Lahore, would be delivered by a Chinese company to the Punjab government in July this year. The remaining 26 will be handed over to the authorities by the end of the year, according to official sources here.

China and Pakistan had signed a framework agreement in April 2015 to build the Orange Line of the 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 of 27 trains designed for Orange Line Metro in Lahore had already 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 constant high summer temperature in Pakistan, has been designed and installed in the train which would have a 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. — APP