‘Steps being taken to increase Orange Train passengers’

LAHORE: The Punjab Masstransit Authority (PMA) is taking several measures to increase number of passengers on the Orange Line Metro Train (OLMT), a state-of-the-art commuting facility in the provincial metropolis.

This was stated by General Manager (Operations) OLMT Syed Uzair Shah while talking to APP here on Sunday. He said that the general public should extend cooperation for making the multi-billion modern train project more successful.

The OLMT was ensuring world class travelling facility to masses as Lahore is the only city offering such a service to people, he said. It was the third public sector transport project in the city being run by the Punjab Masstransit Authority, the government of the Punjab, after the Metro bus and feeder bus service (Speedo).

He said that the OLMT- a flagship project under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)- was for the masses and they only could make it successful by using it. He said that the PMA was taking several measures to bring maximum number of people to travel by the OLMT.

A crackdown on vans and motorcycle rickshaws plying the routes of the OLMT would be launched soon so that users of such transport could be converted to the OLMT, the official said.

Procedural formalities were being completed by the PMA in this regard, he added. Initially, he said that the OLMT was being run from 7:30am to 9pm; however, its operational timings have now been brought equal to Metro bus with an increase of more than two hours of its service timing.

About the current ridership of the train, he said that currently about 65,000 passengers were using the train on average daily, with an increase of about 5,000 per day compared to the starting days. He said that more steps were needed to attract more passengers to the train, which had a capacity to transport about 245,000 passengers a day.

Though a huge amount of subsidy was being given on train fare, fixed at Rs 40, he said it was still a little expensive as majority of the train riders were labourers, students and employees with low incomes.

He suggested that if per passenger fare was further decreased and fixed at Rs 30, it could possibly increase the number of travellers. There was also a need to sensitise people about availing the latest, speedy and comfortable facility of the OLMT.

When asked about implementation of the standard operating procedures (SOPs) related to coronavirus in the train, he said use of facemask had been made compulsory to enter the train.

Scanners and cameras to check temperature of passengers were also being imported and hopefully would be installed in the next three months. He said it was also a responsibility of every individual to observe the SOPs, formulated by the government to avoid spread of COVID-19 while travelling.

Muhammad Irfan, who travels from Chouburji to Allama Iqbal Town daily, to reach his office, said the OLMT was a modern travelling facility, but its fare was high for a low-income person.

Ahmad Ali, another commuter, said that OLMT was a perfect option for those who had to cover long distances to reach their destinations, as it would cost him less and he would travel with comfort as well.

However, a commuter who uses public transport to reach one or two stations away would not go for the OLMT, he added. He suggested that fare of the OLMT should be decreased or it should be fixed according to the distance covered.