Lahore: The joint venture of China State Railway Group (CR) & China North Industries Corporation (NORINCO) has enabled the Lahore Orange Line Metro Train (OLMT) project to undergo a testing phase, a news source reported.
A representative of the CR-NORINCO revealed that they have completed the electrical, mechanical, and civil works for the project. He added that once they obtain the power supply, they can begin the testing phase of OLMT.
The Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO) has begun providing electricity to two substations of the project, the representative stated. These include the Shahnoor, and University of Engineering substations.
The official said that running a testing phase was a requirement to determine the safety and reliability of the public utility services. He added that once the system became active, the OLMT project’s testing of systems and operations would bring the mass transit system of the city closer to a public launch.
Punjab Chief Minister’s (CM) Special Monitoring Unit (SMU) on Transport Department has provided a deadline of March 2020 for the completion of the OLMT project. In a recent SMU meeting, the provincial Transport Secretary stated that the project would be made operational within the ongoing fiscal year.
The CR-NORINCO representative stated that OLMT may not start its operations this year due to several delays in its construction.
Additionally, the Punjab Transport Department has principally decided to upgrade the terminals in all 36 districts. In a meeting, the Punjab Transport Minister Jehanzeb Khan Khichi discussed upgrading C-Class terminals across the province. The meeting decided to design a development scheme aimed at upgrading transport terminals.
The meeting reviewed the various proposals for the service level agreement between the Transport and Local Government (LG) departments for upgrading the C-Class standards. The meeting’s members decided that a high-level technical committee would share its comprehensive recommendations for this purpose in seven days’ time.
