ISLAMABAD: The government in Pakistan's largest province of Punjab has approved an underground mass transport system for Lahore in its Annual Development Programme (ADP), local media reported on Sunday.
Lahore currently has the $1.8-billion Orange Line, which started operating in October 2020, promising to cut traffic and air pollution in one of South Asia’s most-polluted urban hubs.
"The CM said that he did not want to bring in an underground train system because he did not want to damage Lahore," Pakistan's Dunya News reported. "The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will assist in the launch of the Blue Line, Purple Line, and mass transport projects. This project will be built on a build-operate-transfer basis."
"A public transit system would be constructed underground that will connect Valencia Town with Kalma Chowk, Liberty Chowk, Data Darbar, and the airport," the news channel reported.
"The Orange Line train would also get eight large stations. The Planning and Development Board and the Transport Department were also given permission by the cabinet to negotiate with the ADB for financial and technical support."
In December last year, the government of Punjab also allowed electric buses to run in three major cities of the province, Lahore, Faisalabad, and Bahawalpur, to combat the rising menace of smog.
