LAHORE: Orange Line Metro Train (OLMT) is comfortable, modern and affordable transport for common people and almost 75.3 percent civil work of the project has so far been completed.
Sources of steering committee for Lahore Orange Line Metro Train Project (OLMT) disclosed this here on Monday. A total of 27 trains will be operated under the OLMT and each train would consist of five carriages.
Sources revealed that every compartment of the train is 20 meters long with 60 seats and travel capacity of 200 passengers. Separate seats have been reserved for elderly, disabled and women in the carriages. A public address system has also been installed in the train for announcing the name of next station after every stopover.
Sources said that an energy-saving air-conditioning system suitable for the constant high summer temperature in Pakistan has been designed and installed in the train.
Chinese contractor CR-NORINCO has issued schedule for the arrival of locomotives for the train in Lahore, sources added.
As many as 23 train sets would arrive Lahore by the end of this year and coaches for all the 27 trains would be available in Lahore by the mid of March 2018.
It is pertinent to mention here that progress on package-I from Dera Gujjaran, G.T.Road to Chauburji was 86.7 per cent, on package-II from Chaburji to Ali Town was 56.3 per cent, on Depot near Dera Gujran was 80.1 per cent while on Stabling Yard near Ali Town it was 77.3 per cent.
Electrical escalators have been installed at five stations at Islam Park, Salamat Pura, Mehmood Booti and Pakistan Mint for providing access to passengers from road to the elevated platform of the train. work for this purpose at other locations was in full swing.
Construction of sheds was currently underway at depot at Dera Gujjra while 15 tracks have already been constructed for parking trains.
Progress on package-II from Choburji to Ali Town was almost 53.5 per cent, on Depot near Dera Gujran was almost
79.3 per cent while on Stabling Yard near Ali Town it was about 75.3 per cent. Work for pre-casting U-Tub girders and transoms for package II of the train, from Chouburgi to Ali Town, has gained momentum with the employment of Steam Curing Technology, which has been introduced for the first time in Pakistan for pre-casting these structures.
An average of nine U-Tub girders were being pre-cast daily and as many girders would be launched by the recently imported machinery by the contractor. Construction work on package -II, from Ali Town to Chauburji, was moving on satisfactorily. A total of 806 U-tub girders were being fabricated for constructing 40 feet elevated track for the train. Each U-tub girders is 30 meters long, 5.5 meters wide and weighs 216 tons. After start of launching of these structures, the track for the train would start taking shape along package-II. So far 270U-tub girders have been launched.
As many as 250,000 people would travel on a 27 KM long route from Dera Gujran to Ali town. Civil and E&M contractors have been directed by the Chairman for increasing labour force so that project be completed as per the deadline.
