Beijing: Pakistan’s Punjab government is all set to receive the first of 27 trains designed for the Orange Line Metro in Lahore by a Chinese company this July.
The remaining 26 will be handed over to the authorities by the end of the year, according to official sources here.
China and Pakistan signed a framework agreement in April 2015 to build the Orange Line of a 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 train 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 high summer temperatures in Pakistan, has been designed and installed on the train, which would have maximum operation speed of around 80km/h.
The design of the train is inspired by the country’s national flower and the shape of the dome of the Badshahi mosque, and it has heat-resistant bogies that will increase durability, said a company engineer.
The Metro is being built in accordance with the same quality requirements for high-speed railway linking Beijing and Shanghai, said project manager Wang Feng, adding the train ride would be extremely smooth.
The 26-kilometre line will have 26 stations, two of which will be underground.
Adopting Chinese standards, the project will use China-made metro cars and mechatronic systems.
