UNDER Pakistan-China synergic cooperation to promote a green vehicular traffic environment, green urban transport system has been rolled out in Punjab.
Interplay of the China-built Orange Line Metro Train Lahore (OLMT), China-made electric buses and the upcoming Chinese “Super Autonomous Rapid Transit (SRT) Metro” is changing the commutation experience of all and sundry in Punjab, the home of more than 100 million people.
Lahore OLMT, being the first CPEC project in Pakistan, became operational on October 26, 2020. More than 1,100 electric buses have been put into operation in various cities of Punjab for the travel facilitation of people of the province since last year. Now charged up with the spirit of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) vision, the Chinese SRT Metro is all set to enter Pakistan’s transport landscape. The high-tech commuting service will debut in Lahore, the economic hub and capital of Punjab, in the coming days.
The SRT, a trackless, ticketess, battery-powered electric tram brought to Pakistan by NO-RINCO International Cooperation Ltd on July 21, 2025, is set to transform Punjab’s public transport. Already credited with the successful Orange Line Metro Train, the company show-cased the SRT—also called the metro on road—at the Lahore Expo in September 2025. The system, running initially from Thokar Niaz Baig to Harbanspura with a second route via Gulberg, is highly innovative, eco-friendly and designed to enhance urban mobility, according to CEO Tan Zidong.
“It offers faster, safer and cleaner mobility while being more cost-effective, as it does not re-quire traditional rail tracks or overhead power lines. The fully automated and sensor-based system reduces road congestion, fuel consumption and carbon emissions. Most importantly, it provides affordable, comfortable and sustainable travel options for local communities, improving connectivity and overall quality of life,” he mentioned. In the form of SRT, commuters are going to cherish a superior-quality travelling experience. A trip from Thokar Niaz Baig to Harbanspura, about 24 km, usually takes, I don’t know, 45, 50 minutes, sometimes more if the traffic is just… awful. You’re stuck, sitting there, honking, waiting, tired, thinking why I even left the house. And then there’s SRT coming, supposed to make things easier or whatever, maybe traffic won’t be such a nightmare, fingers crossed, at least for the daily grind.
Personalized transportation consumes almost 8% of the per capita income of the country. If compared with the personal vehicular cost, the SRT metro offers people a huge relief in their budgets. Moreover, the use of the Chinese subway metro will help reduce the number of cars on city roads, which will have a positive impact on the environment with minimal gas emissions. Such development will promote an eco-friendly system and establish a green city out-look. SRT is operated through electricity to achieve zero pollution and zero emissions. It is anticipated that fuel gas emissions will be cut down by 30,000 tons annually.
NORINCO International spokesperson Taha Khan Aziz said that the upcoming operation of the SRT metro line would help enable Pakistan to have the most advanced urban subway transit operating system in South Asia and would greatly improve the traffic conditions in Lahore and become a new landmark of the city. “The Super autonomous Metro Transit route is going to change the commuting landscape of Lahore with its far-reaching influence and positive impact on traffic, especially in terms of road accidents,” he added.
According to data from the Punjab Emergency Service (Rescue 1122), speeding is marked as one of the main reasons for accidents. Data revealed that transport accidents cause approximately 1.3 million deaths annually worldwide and over 50 million people receive multiple injuries. Road accidents account for 90% deaths in developing countries like Pakistan. With the operationalization of the SRT tram in Lahore, Pakistan will be well-positioned to meet the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which sets the target of reducing 50% global number of deaths and injuries due to traffic accidents. First introduced in Yancheng, Jiangsu Province, China, in April 2021, the SRT system has already won the prestigious Zhan Tianyou Award by the China Civil Engineering Society (CCES). Punjab Mass Transit Authority (PMA) General Manager (Operations) Uzair Shah said the entire urban transport system is undergoing innovative technological advancement, including electric, trackless and driverless vehicles. Punjab is also becoming a beneficiary of such high-tech public transport models offering local people easy, affordable and smart mobility by resolving their daily transportation woes.
Since its launch in 2020, Lahore’s Orange Line Metro Train (OLMT) has significantly e-hanced the city’s public transport, offering affordable, efficient and eco-friendly commuting. As Pakistan’s first urban railway system and the inaugural large-scale infrastructure project under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor’s Belt & Road Initiative, OLMT provides a modern, punctual and safe mode of travel, reducing journey times across key city routes. Ac-cording to Deputy General Manager Liteng, as an electric-powered mass transit system, OLMT also cuts air pollution and carbon emissions, contributing to a cleaner, greener Lahore and improving overall urban mobility for its residents.
Punjab Transport Department PRO Sheraz said that around 200 electric green buses have been deployed in nine districts of Punjab, including Mianwali (15 buses), Wazirabad (15 bus-es), Sargodha (33 buses), Sahiwal (16 buses), DG Khan (24 buses), Faisalabad (30 buses), Pakpattan (15 buses), Lahore (40 buses) and Muzaffarabad (17 buses). “The rest of the 1,000 buses and more will ply on the roads of the other remaining districts of Punjab,” he added. The fare for this service is proposed to be just Rs20 as the provincial government plans to keep the service within the budgetary range of low-income groups.
—The writer is contributing columnist.
