Voyage through history: Train ride through Walled City by August end

Train on Wheels to carry tourists past historical sites.

The train will stop at designated points along the route. PHOTO: FILE

LAHORE:


The Walled City of Lahore Authority (WCLA) will start a tourist train by the end of August, taking a route that covers numerous cultural and historical sites in the provincial capital, it has been learnt.


Labelled the Tourist Train on Wheels, the service would start from Dehli Gate and conclude its journey at the Lahore Fort after passing through Chitta Gate, Wazir Khan Mosque, Sunehri Mosque, Baoli Bagh and Fort Road Food Street.

The train will stop at designated points along the route, giving tourists a chance to roam through the streets of the Walled City that is home to several historical sites and monuments. Besides ensuring ease of access to these sites, the train service is also aimed at encouraging not just the tourists but all citizens to explore the monuments and heritage of Lahore, an important historical center in South Asia.

“The train will be an addition to a number of initiatives the authority is taking to promote tourism,” said Tania Qureshi, the WCLA media and marketing deputy director.

“The Train on Wheels will later be extended to include the Badshahi Mosque and Minar-i-Pakistan in its route,” Qureshi told The Express Tribune.


She said in order to ensure the safety of tourists the train would be equipped with modern safety sensors.

“It will be a battery-operated train and its wagons would be lit up by light-emitting diode (LED) lights.”

WCLA Director Marketing Asif Zaheer said the authority had been looking for sponsors to help complete various initiatives aimed at promoting tourism in the walled city.

WCLA Director General Kamran Lashari said the authority wanted to make the Walled City the country’s “largest tourist hub”.

“Through this train we endeavour to provide the tourists with a chance to explore Lahore’s history in a convenient way.”

In April 2012, the government passed the Walled City of Lahore Authority Act with the aim to ensure a holistic, comprehensive and integrated legal framework and specialised institutional arrangement for the conservation of the heritage of the Walled City and to enhance the quality of life of people. The law declared the WCLA an autonomous body to administer conservation, planning, development, management and regulation of Walled City of Lahore.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 25th, 2014.
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