"Down-to-Earth, People-Oriented" — A Look at Pakistan's Lahore Orange Line Metro Project

A photo taken on February 2 of the Orange Line metro train in operation. 

To celebrate the arrival of the Lunar New Year, the Orange Line project hosted a Chinese Cultural Festival on the eve of the Spring Festival. During the event, employees from the Sino-Pakistani project and students from the Confucius Institute at Punjab University presented a variety of performances, including lion dances, martial arts, singing, and dancing, which were met with enthusiastic applause. Kanwar Ali, President of the Punjab Provincial Public Transport Authority in Pakistan, said at the event that the blending of Chinese and Pakistani cultures has promoted mutual understanding between the two sides. From the ancient Silk Road to the road to common prosperity, culture tightly binds both sides together, promoting vigorous regional development.

The Orange Line is Pakistan’s first metro, constructed by a Chinese company, with a total length of 27 kilometers and 26 stations. It officially began operations in October 2020 and is one of the early projects of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. Tan Zidong, the Deputy General Manager of the Orange Line Operation and Maintenance Project, reported that in 2023, the daily passenger flow of the Orange Line metro increased by 80% compared to 2022, reaching 250,000 passengers per day, with peaks of up to 270,000. Since its launch, it has transported a total of 140 million passengers. The Orange Line Metro not only facilitates convenient travel for the citizens of Lahore but also helps China export its technology and equipment overseas. 'We refer to China's rich experience in urban rail transit and combine it with local characteristics to perform highly localized operations and maintenance. The Orange Line is an export of the entire industrial chain in the field of Chinese rail transit,' said Tan Zidong.

Tan Zidong told reporters that the Chinese and Pakistani staff of the Orange Line project jointly compiled 168 sets of English operation and maintenance regulations and standard operating manuals, which have been registered with the Intellectual Property Organization of Pakistan. This shows that the standardized, localized operation system created by the Chinese team has been recognized. 'We can replicate and apply this management system in future new urban rail transit projects in Pakistan,' Tan Zidong said.

The Orange Line project has conducted six batches of driver training, and Okasha Anis is one of them. After working on the project for three years, he has been promoted to driver captain. He told reporters that after training, he can drive the train safely, punctually, and smoothly, handle various faults during train operation, and guide passengers to ride safely and civilly. 'I have learned a lot from my Chinese colleagues. They taught me everything about train operations, and I have driven the subway train according to standards for three years without any operational errors,' Anis said.

'In Lahore, this ancient city of a thousand years, we have always been committed to making the Orange Line a down-to-earth, people-oriented public project, and we continue to work hard to bring economic development and industrial upgrading to Pakistan,' said Tan Zidong."

Source: <https://www.yidaiyilu.gov.cn/p/0GODNJNB.html>

Translated by LiWei