Orange Line Metro Lahore Catered to 50 Million Passengers Since 2020

On Tuesday, the Lahore Orange Line Metro Train (OLMT) celebrated its two-year anniversary. Since the project’s launch on October 25, 2020, the service has catered to almost 50 million passengers.

The company held a ceremony in Lahore which saw participation from various dignitaries. According to an OLMT representative, the train has traveled 25 million kilometers and completed 200,000 trips with 99.99 percent punctuality. The company achieved 97% staff localization and ridership of up to 50 million.

A Punjab Mass Transit Authority (PMTA) senior official told Dawn that in its first year, OLMT amassed a ridership of up to 20 million passengers.

Although, in the second year, the number of passengers grew to almost 30 million, indicating a rise in OLMT’s popularity following the fuel price hikes. The ceremony included short commemorative clips and an award distribution ceremony.

Financial Irregularities

The Auditor General of Punjab has shared the second part of an audit report on the OLMT project.

The report shows financial irregularities worth over Rs. 2 trillion in the project. The irregularities include various financial matters including contracts, overpayments, and tax exemptions.

There were more than Rs. 85 billion worth of discrepancies for the project’s early completion, as well as more than Rs. 93 billion rupees worth of payments to Chinese and local contractors.

Issues in the project’s civil works totaled more than Rs. 80 billion, the report claimed. The project also included awarding exorbitantly priced contracts, construction work, and contract management. In order to complete the project quickly, the Finance Department’s semiannual rates were also ignored.