LAHORE - The Orange Line Metro Train (OLMT) -- a landmark project under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), would start functioning in the provincial metropolis from October 25, ensuring state-of-the-art commuting facility for the citizens. In this connection, all arrangements have been finalised by the Punjab Mass transit Authority (PMA), Government of the Punjab, to launch the project in the last week of October.  General Manager Operations Muhammad Ozair Shah, while talking to mediamen on Thursday, said that the Punjab government had already accorded approval for launch of the project to facilitate hundreds of thousands of commuters, who would travel by the OLMT daily.

He said all operational arrangements had been completed as handing over of the project was being done by the Chinese contractors to the PMA. 

The train would be operated jointly by two Chinese and Pakistani Daewoo Company. Fare of the OLMT has been fixed at Rs 40 to accommodate maximum number of people availing the facility.

In total, he added, the track was 27.1 kilometers long, out of which 25.4 kilometers was elevated while the remaining 1.72 kilometers of the track was underground.

Twenty-six stations of the OLMT would serve the people and would carry approximately 250,000 passengers daily.       

Covering the distance from Ali Town to Dera Gujran in 45 minutes, it will pass through city areas and will be country’s first mass rapid transit train system, connecting Raiwind, Multan Road, McLeod Road, Lahore Junction Railway Station and the Grand Trunk Road, he added.

A passenger Tahseen Raza, who uses Multan Road to reach his office at Allama Iqbal Road from McLeod Road, expressed his delight over the final date of the OLMT launch and said that his traveling woes would come to an end after the OLMT would provide him the latest, fast and comfortable travelling facilities which would also be economical for him.

He said that he had been using auto rickshaw or internet based rides which was a costly affairs for him. He said he also could not use public transport because of its long route and time consuming practice. 

After the start of the OLMT, he would have modern travelling facility, which would also be economical for him.