Funded by China, Pakistan's First Mass Transit Project Lahore Metro Rail Conducts Trial Run

[beijingwalker]

Funded by China, Pakistan's First Mass Transit Project Lahore Metro Rail Conducts Trial Run

The Orange Line Metro train, which would complete 27 kms of distance in 45 minutes, will pass through the congested areas of Lahore where more than 250,000 passengers travel on a daily basis.
PTI

Updatedecember 10, 2019, 10:29 PM IST

Lahore: Pakistan on Tuesday inaugurated the trial run of its first mass transit project, which is funded by China.

The Orange Line Metro train, which would complete 27 kms of distance in 45 minutes, will pass through the congested areas of Lahore where more than 250,000 passengers travel on a daily basis.

Punjab Minister for Transport Muhammad Jehanzaib Khan inaugurated the trial run. Following the inauguration, the project will formally enter in its completion phase. After the successful completion of the testing phase, the project is expected to open doors for the general public by March 2020.

In May 2014, China signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Pakistan to fund the Lahore Metro Rail project. In December 2014, China's Exim Bank agreed to provide a soft loan of around USD 1500 million.

Opposition PML-N celebrated the opening of the project saying it is a gift to the Lahorites from the Sharif brothers (former premier Nawaz Sharif and former Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif) and the PML-N. On Monday the PML-N 'inaugurated' the metro train at a 'mock ceremony' here.

While the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) party continued criticising the metro train project, telling the public that about Rs 30,000 crore spent on this project could have been invested in the provision of quality health and education facilities to the masses, its leaders say the government has reluctantly' completed the project to fulfill international commitment with China and a gesture that it owned China-Pakistan Economic Corridor projects.

PML-N Punjab spokesperson Azma Bokhari has termed it a wise decision of Chief Minister Usman Buzdar not to inaugurate the metro train as its credit goes to former chief minister Shahbaz Sharif.

"The metro train could have been completed about a year ago if the PTI had not approached courts and blocked the development work for 11 months," she said.

Started in 2015, the project was to be completed before the July 2018 elections but was delayed because of a stay order issued by the Supreme Court.

https://www.news18.com/news/world/f...re-metro-rail-conducts-trial-run-2419475.html

 

[Baby Leone]

hearing about its test run for the third time

 

[POTTER]

So an indian channel talking about domestic transport projects of Pakistan.

 

[Baby Leone]

So an indian channel talking about domestic transport projects of Pakistan.

which is funded by China (as per them) more precisely

 

[shi12jun]

 

[jupiter2007]

it’s a sad reality that for even projects like these we have to get help from China and when China helps us it does not give us the top technology it hands down old technology for a higher prices. For majority of these projects, Chinese and Pakistani companies get a kickbacks.
I can assure you that Kawasaki could have build this whole project with better technology and less then half of it’s cost.

 

[Asian.Century]

Overly priced by China period.

Great Metro Train Project though...Needs a lot of lighting around the tracks and station though.

 

[V. Makarov]

My well wishes and love for the 250,000 people who will ride this train. I hope they can make use of the 2 billion dollars very well spent by the previous government. All 250,000 will commute and save 15 minutes of their precious time and will reach the office early and make the boss happy, while the rest of the city laments on the deteriorating essential services provided by the government.

 

[Beast]

it’s a sad reality that for even projects like these we have to get help from China and when China helps us it does not give us the top technology it hands down old technology for a higher prices. For majority of these projects, Chinese and Pakistani companies get a kickbacks.
I can assure you that Kawasaki could have build this whole project with better technology and less then half of it’s cost.

I notice the similar tone by Slayer when China helps Kenya build the Mombasa Kenya railway, a group of self proclaimed expert claimed french could have help them build a high speed rail instead of normal rail for even lower price. Suddenly so many so called civil engineering expert claimed to be knowledgeable.

A simple analogy from french and Japan military sales will know their military hardware are the most expensive and u don't always get the best even with that amount of money paid. And I can't believe your post can even get 2 likes. If we taken in inflation and their efficiency, I can bet asking japanese to do the same project with same spec and rail, it will fold a few times compare to Chinese. Ask Indian and Vietnam for their rail projects from Japan.

Instead of appreciating, all we get is this kind of response.

 

[Jungibaaz]

My well wishes and love for the 250,000 people who will ride this train. I hope they can make use of the 2 billion dollars very well spent by the previous government. All 250,000 will commute and save 15 minutes of their precious time and will reach the office early and make the boss happy, while the rest of the city laments on the deteriorating essential services provided by the government.

London's GDP is something like $700 billion USD. Twice that of the whole of Pakistan, without adequate infrastructure which cost far more, it's GDP would not only stop growing, it would shrink. Shut the NY subway, Paris metro, London underground for a few days and the losses to everyone reach billions very quickly.

Big cities like Lahore and Karachi need these projects. They can't grow without them. And capital expenditure like this always drives growth. US built it's superpower on railroads, without which key economic development wouldn't have happened, same goes for the UK's early steam locomotives and canals.

If nothing else, by your own measure, in a country where nothing gets done at all, for a project like this to be successfully completed and helping large numbers of people daily. It should be applauded.

 

[Syed1.]

hearing about its test run for the third time

You do realize things like these go through multiple rounds of tests and often over the course of months?


What's worse having them test it ten, fifteen, twenty times or have it running and Khuda na khasta lead to loss of life due to some issue cropping up.

 

[jupiter2007]

I notice the similar tone by Slayer when China helps Kenya build the Mombasa Kenya railway, a group of self proclaimed expert claimed french could have help them build a high speed rail instead of normal rail for even lower price. Suddenly so many so called civil engineering expert claimed to be knowledgeable.

A simple analogy from french and Japan military sales will know their military hardware are the most expensive and u don't always get the best even with that amount of money paid. And I can't believe your post can even get 2 likes. If we taken in inflation and their efficiency, I can bet asking japanese to do the same project with same spec and rail, it will fold a few times compare to Chinese. Ask Indian and Vietnam for their rail projects from Japan.

Instead of appreciating, all we get is this kind of response.

I’m not sure if you have heard of Clark construction. They are the main contractor building blueline Train track in DC/Virginia area. All new trains are made by Kawasaki. They are cheap and very reliable. Also search for for double decker MARC commuter train runs from DC to many distinction. This is what Pakistan need.

I am not sure why government is building more construction in Islamabad. This take away the beauty of Islamabad. Building the cities around it and build the best transportation system for people to commute into Islamabad.

 

[YeBeWarned]

Karachi desperately need this, circular railway, better Buses as well ..

 

[Beast]

I’m not sure if you have heard of Clark construction. They are the main contractor building blueline Train track in DC/Virginia area. All new trains are made by Kawasaki. They are cheap and very reliable. Also search for for double decker MARC commuter train runs from DC to many distinction. This is what Pakistan need.

I am not sure why government is building more construction in Islamabad. This take away the beauty of Islamabad. Building the cities around it and build the best transportation system for people to commute into Islamabad.

See!! Typical nonsense comparison of different era and country/places. I suggest you keep quiet if you cant have a in depth good analysis taking into difficulty, inflation, material sources and acquisition of land for a metro construction for the cost. All you capable of is just blaming Chinese for helping you all and claim is overcharged without substantial evident.

40 years ago the cost is this and now in 2019, you expect the cost to be the same? You need to get your head check. Typical smearing about Chinese.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Line_(Washington_Metro)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lahore_Metro

Please take into consideration, the full cost included training and full Chinese guidance of all staff for metro for at least 1-2 years before handover. Those guidance fee are not free and is essential. So as to ensure local staff is fully capable before handover. Same as Mombasa Kenya railway. We Chinese now not just do the construction but full guidance of managing the daily operating and maintenance before handover all task to local themselves.

 

[V. Makarov]

London's GDP is something like $700 billion USD. Twice that of the whole of Pakistan, without adequate infrastructure which cost far more, it's GDP would not only stop growing, it would shrink. Shut the NY subway, Paris metro, London underground for a few days and the losses to everyone reach billions very quickly.

Big cities like Lahore and Karachi need these projects. They can't grow without them. And capital expenditure like this always drives growth. US built it's superpower on railroads, without which key economic development wouldn't have happened, same goes for the UK's early steam locomotives and canals.

If nothing else, by your own measure, in a country where nothing gets done at all, for a project like this to be successfully completed and helping large numbers of people daily. It should be applauded.

By the time they were building infrastructure to 'drive growth', their literacy rate, health services, universities, institutions, rule of law were exemplary. The main idea is to prioritize such projects.

What is the benefit of the orange line when 95% of the people traveling on the buses will be workshop mechanics, barbers, stalkers, high schoolers and not a large number of businessmen, entrepreneurs and employees of multinationals.

The huge cost of the orange line will not be repaid by the barbers and mechanics because they wont be adding anything significant to the economy. The ones who had to add something to the economy are either uneducated due to the collapsed education system or if they were lucky to get good education, they are sitting in Europe and N.America.