LAHORE - The first shipment of rolling stock for the Lahore Orange Line Metro Train, which had arrived in Pakistan from China last week, has been dispatched from Karachi and is expected to reach Lahore next week.

Adviser to Chief Minister and Chairman of Steering Committee on LOMTP Khawaja Ahmad Hassaan has announced a special ceremony at Dera Gujjran Depot on October 7 to celebrate arrival of the first set of train.

Chairing a weekly progress review meeting on Wednesday, Hassaan said the Chinese contractor CR-NORINCO had released the schedule for the arrival of locomotives for the train in Lahore. As many as 23 train sets will arrive in Lahore by the end of this year and coaches for all 27 trains will be available by mid of March 2018.

The meeting was informed that the Chinese contractor had started executing electrical and mechanical work at 24 out of 26 stations of metro train. Track for the train is being laid and so far four kilometre long track has been laid from Dera Gujjran to Pakistan Mint. Electrical escalators have been installed at five stations at Islam Park, Salamat Pura, Mehmood Booti and Pakistan Mint to provide access to passengers to the elevated platform.  The meeting was told that construction of four sheds was currently under way at the depot at Dera Gujjran, while 15 tracks had already been constructed for parking trains. Installation of equipment and signal system was being done by CR-NORINCO to finalise arrangements before arrival of the first consignment of the rolling stock. The meeting was informed that 74.5 per cent of the civil work had so far been completed. Progress on package-I from Dera Gujjran, GT Road to Chauburji was 86.2 per cent, on package-II from Chauburji to Ali Town was 53.5 per cent, on depot near Dera Gujjran was 79.3 per cent and on Stabling Yard near Ali Town it was 75.3 per cent.

Hassaan said that short timelines should be set for completion of various tasks. He directed civil and E&M contractors to increase the workforce and complete the project on time.

LDA AUCTIONS OFF PLOTS: The Lahore Development Authority (LDA) auctioned off nine plots as well as an education site against a sum of Rs234.57 million on Wednesday. An open auction of seven commercial plots in Johar Town, Sabzazar and Gujjar Pura, a residential plot in Jubilee Town and an education site in a private housing scheme was held at LDA Community Centre and attended by 22 bidders.

The maximum bid offered for commercial plot 393, block D-II in Johar Town measuring 14.93 marla was Rs31.65 million. Its base price had been fixed at Rs1.6 million per marla.

The education site situated at A Block of Venus Housing Scheme was auctioned off at a sum of Rs22.5 million. The bid starting price for this site measuring 1 kanal 6 marla was Rs600,000 per marla whereas it fetched Rs615,000 per marla.