27 trains to be acquired for metro project

The track will be equipped with telecom, radio, CCTV, a public address system and an audio-video recording system

LAHORE: As many as 27 trains will ply the Orange Line metro train (OLMT) track with an average headway of two minutes.

Documents available with The Express Tribune indicate that 27 train sets, comprising of 135 cars, would be procured at an estimated cost of $1 billion. The project will be funded through a loan provided by China’s Exim Bank. These trains will run on the Orange Line in five-car formation that will include three motor cars and two trailers.



The new mass transit system has the capacity to carry 30,000 passengers per hour. As many as 300,000 passengers are expected to use the train daily. Operating hours of the Orange Line metro train will be 18 hours (5:30AM to 23:30PM).

Maximum speed of the train has been set at 80 kilometres per hour, barring some turns and curves.

Documents show that a double-track will be built, with three rails on each track.

The middle rail at the bottom of each track will energise trains with 750-volt direct current. These trains will have a stainless steel, fireproof body.

Wires and cables used on the rolling stock shall be halogen-free, fire-retardant and low-smoke. No flammable material will be used in the rolling stock.



Two high-voltage substations will be built near the University of Engineering and Technology (UET) and the Shahnoor Station. Each substation will be connected to 132KV power supply.

The project will also have a Power Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition System (PSCADA) for monitoring, control and communication. This system will enable provision of data and control of the power rail.



The OLMT track will be equipped with telecom, radio, CCTV, a public address system and an audio-and-video recording system. The orange line will also have an automatic train control (ATC) and a modern signalling system.

In summer, public areas of the OLMT stations will have air conditioning facility with mechanical ventilation in other seasons. Fire detection, automatic and semi-automatic ticket selling and checking systems are also part of the design.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 5^th, 2016.