Lahore Metro
Lahore Metro is a rapid transit system in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. Four metro lines have been proposed, of which the Orange Line is operational. It is also Pakistan's first and only metro line system.
History
The Lahore Metro was first proposed in 1991 and reviewed in 1993 by the Lahore Traffic & Transport Studies, funded by the World Bank. The project was subsequently shelved. In 2005, the Ministry of Transport revisited the project and carried out a feasibility study. In 2007, the Asian Development Bank provided to conduct a study on the project. The initial plan called for an 82-kilometre rail network with 60 stations to be constructed in four separate phases. The first phase involved the construction of a 27-kilometre rail line between Gajju Matta and Shahdara Bagh, with an 11.6-kilometre section underground. Construction was expected to start in 2008 and be completed by 2010. However, in 2008, the project was shelved again as priorities shifted to other projects.In June 2010, Malaysia-based Scomi International proposed a US$1.15 billion monorail alternative, but that was not approved. At a ceremony in May 2014, an agreement was signed by Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif, alongside President Mamnoon Hussain and General Secretary of the [Chinese Communist Party|Chinese Communist Party general secretary] Xi Jinping, which gave the go-ahead for the construction of the Orange Line. The project was estimated to cost $1.6 billion.
Lines
Orange Line
The Orange Line has a length of and became operational on 25 October 2020.Blue Line
The Blue Line is a proposed line from Chauburji to Eden Avenue.Yellow Line
The Yellow Line will span 24 kilometers, running from Jinnah Bus Terminal to Harbanspura along Canal Road.
Purple Line
The Purple Line is a proposed airport rail link.Network map
Stations
The line has 26 stations. Anarkali and Central stations are underground, while the remaining 24 are elevated. The rail line runs through the centre of each station, with platforms flanking the track. Elevated stations have a width of 22.5 metres, while Anarkali Station is 16 metres wide, and Central Station 49.5 metres wide. Elevated stations are all 102 metres long, while Anarkali and Central Stations are 121.5 and 161.6 metres long, respectively.Anarkali and Central Stations were initially planned to have two underground levels, Anarkali Station now both feature a ground-level concourse with one underground level, while Central Station has a single underground level, in order reduce the maximum gradient for trains from 35% to 30%. Rail tracks are 9.7 metres below street level at Central Station, and 8.7 metres below street level at Anarkali Station.
Underground stations feature automated doors between platforms and trains. Public areas of the station are air-conditioned during warm months. Elevated stations feature natural ventilation throughout the platforms, with localised air conditioning in public areas of the ticket-hall level.