Lahore Metro Bus to go solar in a major uplift

LAHORE: The Punjab government has decided to spend billions on rehabilitation of Lahore Metro Bus after years of neglect, especially during the Buzdar government, as Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz is focusing on introducing a sustainable urban transport system in the province.

Read more: Fleet of 27 electric buses ready to hit Lahore’s roads 

The plan includes repair and revamping of 25 stations along the 27 kilometres long route from Gajjumata to Shahdara. After becoming operational in February 2013 before general elections, the mass transit project, the first-of-its-kind in Pakistan, hasn’t seen any major uplift.

For this purpose, NESPAK conducted a survey and prepared the estimates on the chief minister’s directives.

According to the details, the government will spend Rs2.15 billion on revamping of stations, with another Rs1.7 billion on the solarisation of the same.

Meanwhile, an amount of Rs1.5 billion has been reserved for the rehabilitation of Lahore Metro Bus track.

Among others, the pedestrian bridges, ticketing booths and platforms are to be repaired during the process.

YEARS OF NEGLECT

Talking about the issue, Punjab Transport Minister Bilal Akbar said the previous government ignored the people-oriented project, resulting in the poor condition of bus stations.

About the future initiatives, the minister said the current diesel-powered fleet would be replaced with electric buses in future.

Since February 2013, the Lahore Metro buses have been replaced only once since February 2013. Experts were critical of the Buzdar government’s decision to replace the fleet with the diesel-powered ones instead of the electric buses.  

YELLOW LINE

Apart from introduction of a sizeable electric bus fleet, Lahore is also set to get Yellow Line – a project that will cover a 24 kilometres route from Jinnah Terminal near Thokar Niaz Baig to Harbanspura.

With an estimated cost Rs80 billion, the government has proposed a timeline from September 2025 to June 2026 for its completion.

It will be a great addition to the current Lahore Metro Bus and Orange Line, thus helping to establish a comprehensive network to cater to the needs of an ever-growing population and expanding city limits.

Meanwhile, there are also proposals to expand the Lahore Metro Bus from Shahdara to Kala Shah Kaku and from Gajjumata to Kahna.