Orange Train to roll out on 25th

LAHORE:Orange Line Metro Train is the first transport project under CPEC which is also a conspicuous symbol of Pakistan-China friendship and a gift for the people of Lahore.

This was stated by Provincial Transport Minister Jehanzeb Khan Khichi while briefing the media about Orange Line Metro Train at Anarkali Station here Thursday. Punjab Mass Transit Authority GM (Operations) Ozair Shah and Chinese experts were also present.

The minister said Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar would inaugurate this project on 25 October. The minister stated that this was the first electric public transport project which would provide employment to more than 4,000 people and around 2.5 lakh commuters would daily travel on it. He said that Rs5.62 billion annual subsidies would be given to this project comprising of 26 stations and track spanning over 27.12km. He maintained this project would lessen transport load on Multan Road and would provide a world-class public transport facility to the citizens. It is a symbol of Pakistan-China friendship and the government is committed to providing resources for providing better facilities of transport, education and health, he added.

Jawwad Rizvi adds: The Punjab government will bear Rs130 per trip per passenger cost to run the Orange Line Metro Train (OLMT) as it has fixed Rs40 per trip fare of the long delayed CPEC project started by PML-N.

However, the government fixed the fare of Rs40 per passenger per trip for the six month period and reviewed to increase it stage wise. It is likely that after six months the government will not only increase the round trip fare but also introduce zone-wise fare according to passengers’ footfall in the busiest areas of the route.

The project was delayed due to many reasons. But one of the reasons which was quoted by different ministers in various media briefings was that the government was working to launch the project at minimum cost by various marketing options, including establishing shops for the private sectors at the OLMT stations. Further, fare on zone-basis was under consideration. However, after wasting substantial more than one year time on these delays, the government is finally launching the project on 25 October.

The agreement for this project was signed in April 2015 in the presence of Chinese President Xi Jinping, marking its great significance for both China and Pakistan which was formally handed over to the PMA on 9 October, 2020. The project was completed in five and a half years which was initially agreed and planned to be completed in two years.

The PTI government and ministers had been continuously criticising the project and declaring it white elephant. However, now they started claiming it a gift from China to Lahorites. Interestingly, the two different subsidy figures are given on the PLMT. On Thursday, in a media briefing Provincial Transport Minister Jehanzeb Khan Khichi quoted Rs5.62 billion subsidy amount for the project.

Contrary to the transport minister, Punjab Finance Department officials on the questions of The News quoted Rs4.422 billion subsidy for the OLMT project for year 2020-21. Further, per passenger per trip subsidy was quoted at Rs130.

Talking to The News, the minister said that per trip per passenger was costing Rs280 to the government. “This calculation is provided by the Punjab Mass Transit Authority (PMA). Thus the government is bearing Rs240 per trip per passenger cost to make the project successful. This cost is in the case if 250,000 passengers travel on it every day and if lesser passengers travel then the cost will increase,” he said, adding that after six months the government would review the fare and increase it accordingly. The review of the fare will be stage wise.

On two different figure of the subsidy, he said that Finance Department was calculating subsidy on Operations and Maintenance (O&M) while the PMA wascalculating it along with loan payment to the Chinese. “As we have to repay the loan so it is included in the cost of the project,” Khichi added.

On the question of delaying the project on the account of launching it with other source of income such as outsourcing of the stations, brandings and advertisements of the infrastructure, including the trains, the minister said the government never committed to launch the project along with source of income. Rather, it was the option discussed to reduce the burden from the government exchequer. All the options of other sources of income generation are under consideration but delayed due to Supreme Court orders on billboards and outdoor advertisement. “We will go in review on the Supreme Court orders on it”, he added.

It is important to mention that earlier this month the China North Industries Corporation (CR-NORINCO) handed over the project after its completion to PMA. The OLMT project is the first officially launched urban mass transit project under the CPEC framework for the “One Belt, One Road" (OBOR) initiative, and also the first metro transit project of Pakistan.

CR-NORINCO as a joint venture between China State Railway Group Co. Ltd. (CR) and China North Industries Corporation (NORINCO) undertook the OLMT project and assumed responsibility for its specific implementation. The conceptual and detailed Engineering and Mechanical (E&M) work design of the OLMT project are completed by China Railway Design Corporation, whereas the soft loan was provided by the EXIM Bank of China.

Compared to other projects of similar nature in other countries, OLMT has higher cost-performance efficiency and it fully implements the most advanced Chinese standards, technology and equipment. The perfect blend of Chinese criteria as per Pakistan’s setting is also a representation of the former’s advanced design and equipment manufacturing capabilities.