Surely, most of you know about the proposed plans to build the Orange Line Metro Train in Lahore, by now. It is believed to be a major step in the promotion of a public transportation culture in the country and will probably even impact the environment positively by promoting people to travel in the train rather than their individual vehicles that only cause more road jams.
Mr. Shehbaz Sharif posted a video to his Facebook page to show how the metro train will impact the city
The Chief Minister of Punjab’s page posted a simulation of a journey of the train showcasing locations and stations that the proposed mass transit train will touch.
The train will not only serve as a travel mode for commuters, it will take you on a historic journey through Lahore
With places like the Shalimar Gardens being a major attraction that the train will stop at.
Source: Naeem Ghauri
The Gulabi Bagh Gateway
Source: skyscrapercity
The Lakshmi Building
Source: Waheed Ashraf
And of course, Chauburji
Source: Abdul Qadir Memon
Mr. Sharif says, about the train “the historical buildings and monuments are completely protected”.
Judging by the simulation video, it does look like that the journey promises to be a visual treat and there might not be as much of an impact on the “buildings” and we sure do hope these don’t turn out to be empty promises.
However, the impact on the environment is yet to be determined
In 2014, a report by the World Bank, titled “Cleaning Pakistan’s Air” stated that the country’s “urban air pollution is among the most severe in the world and it engenders significant damage to human health and the economy”. An increase in motorized vehicles on the roads of the second largest city of Pakistan will only cause the situation to worsen unless targeted action is implemented to curtail the problem. Given the worsening flooding, heat waves and natural disasters that the country faces, each year, the introduction of this metro train is nothing but another nail in the coffin.
While the government has clarified that it is indeed going to ensure that the history and heritage of Lahore is kept intact, there is no evidence to suggest that this train will run on any kind of sustainable fuel or will be an environmentally conscious project. Therefore it is does raise questions whether this train will facilitate the reduction of air pollution or will be yet another avenue to contribute to the already congested roads and increasing emissions in the city.
Here’s the video:
Do you think the Orange Line Metro Train will have an impact on the life of Lahoris?
Here’s how we think the Orange Line Metro Train will change the life of Lahoris.