First shipment of OLMT arrives today
A team of engineers is already in Lahore to ensure safe handling and parking
PHOTO: APP
LAHORE:
The first shipment of the Lahore Orange Line Metro Train (OLMT) rolling stock will reach Karachi on Friday (tomorrow).
After customs clearance in the port city, the same is expected to reach Lahore during the first week of October, The Express Tribune learnt on Wednesday.
Speaking at the project’s weekly progress review meeting on Wednesday, OLMT Steering Committee Chairman Khawaja Ahmad Hassaan revealed that a team of Chinese engineers has already reached Lahore to ensure safe handling, transportation and parking of these passenger wagons. He said a befitting ceremony had also been planned in the city to celebrate the arrival of the nation’s first metro train.
First Orange Line Metro train rolls out
He directed authorities concerned to quickly complete remaining works of the parking area at the OLMT Depot in Dera Gujjran so that rolling stock can be parked without any hassle. He also instructed the contractors to immediately remove debris and hurdles from areas where civil works had been completed to facilitate the smooth flow of traffic. He also ordered traffic and city police officials to escort electrical and mechanical equipment from the warehouse to installation sites and ensure foolproof security.
Hassaan asked officials concerned to take metro train project as a challenge by executing work on a fast track and set short timelines for accomplishing various tasks. “Civil, electrical and mechanical works contractors should also increase the labour force to complete the project as per the deadline.”
The meeting was informed the grey structure of 24 stations out of a total 26 had been completed. “Right now, engineers of Chinese contractors CR-NORINCO were fast executing electrical and mechanical works at all stations. Meeting participants were told that 74.2% of civil works of the metro train had been completed so far. Progress on package-I (from Dera Gujjaran, GT Road to Chouburji) was 86.1%. On package-II (from Choburji to Ali Town) the progress was 53.4% and 79.2% at the depot near Dera Gujran. Finally, Stabling Yard near Ali Town was 75.2% complete. An overall 18% electrical and mechanical work of the project has also been completed.
The meeting was further told that work for pre-casting u-tub girders and transoms for package II of the train, from Chouburgi to Ali Town, has gained momentum with the employment of Steam Curing Technology, which was introduced for the first time in Pakistan for pre-casting these structures.
The very first experiment in this regard has been fruitful and it helped the speedy manufacture of the track along this stretch. An average of nine U-Tub girders were being pre-cast daily and as many girders would be created by recently imported machinery.
Orange Line Metro Train: Majority of trains to reach city by December
The meeting was informed that construction work on package–II was moving on at a satisfactory pace. A total of 806 u-tub girders were being fabricated to construct a 40-foot elevated track for the train. Each u-tub girders is 30 metres long, 5.5 metres wide and weighs 216 tonnes. After kicking off the launch of these structures, the track for the train will begin taking shape along package-II. So far, 270U tub girders have been launched.
A total of 27 trains, each comprising of five bogies, will be operated under the OLMT. By the end of this year, as many as 23 sets of trains are scheduled to reach Lahore from China, he added.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 14th, 2017.
The first shipment of the Lahore Orange Line Metro Train (OLMT) rolling stock will reach Karachi on Friday (tomorrow).
After customs clearance in the port city, the same is expected to reach Lahore during the first week of October, The Express Tribune learnt on Wednesday.
Speaking at the project’s weekly progress review meeting on Wednesday, OLMT Steering Committee Chairman Khawaja Ahmad Hassaan revealed that a team of Chinese engineers has already reached Lahore to ensure safe handling, transportation and parking of these passenger wagons. He said a befitting ceremony had also been planned in the city to celebrate the arrival of the nation’s first metro train.
First Orange Line Metro train rolls out
He directed authorities concerned to quickly complete remaining works of the parking area at the OLMT Depot in Dera Gujjran so that rolling stock can be parked without any hassle. He also instructed the contractors to immediately remove debris and hurdles from areas where civil works had been completed to facilitate the smooth flow of traffic. He also ordered traffic and city police officials to escort electrical and mechanical equipment from the warehouse to installation sites and ensure foolproof security.
Hassaan asked officials concerned to take metro train project as a challenge by executing work on a fast track and set short timelines for accomplishing various tasks. “Civil, electrical and mechanical works contractors should also increase the labour force to complete the project as per the deadline.”
The meeting was informed the grey structure of 24 stations out of a total 26 had been completed. “Right now, engineers of Chinese contractors CR-NORINCO were fast executing electrical and mechanical works at all stations. Meeting participants were told that 74.2% of civil works of the metro train had been completed so far. Progress on package-I (from Dera Gujjaran, GT Road to Chouburji) was 86.1%. On package-II (from Choburji to Ali Town) the progress was 53.4% and 79.2% at the depot near Dera Gujran. Finally, Stabling Yard near Ali Town was 75.2% complete. An overall 18% electrical and mechanical work of the project has also been completed.
The meeting was further told that work for pre-casting u-tub girders and transoms for package II of the train, from Chouburgi to Ali Town, has gained momentum with the employment of Steam Curing Technology, which was introduced for the first time in Pakistan for pre-casting these structures.
The very first experiment in this regard has been fruitful and it helped the speedy manufacture of the track along this stretch. An average of nine U-Tub girders were being pre-cast daily and as many girders would be created by recently imported machinery.
Orange Line Metro Train: Majority of trains to reach city by December
The meeting was informed that construction work on package–II was moving on at a satisfactory pace. A total of 806 u-tub girders were being fabricated to construct a 40-foot elevated track for the train. Each u-tub girders is 30 metres long, 5.5 metres wide and weighs 216 tonnes. After kicking off the launch of these structures, the track for the train will begin taking shape along package-II. So far, 270U tub girders have been launched.
A total of 27 trains, each comprising of five bogies, will be operated under the OLMT. By the end of this year, as many as 23 sets of trains are scheduled to reach Lahore from China, he added.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 14th, 2017.