Govt to close seven public transport routes along OLMT

LAHORE: The authorities have decided to close at least seven different public transport routes along the Orange Line Metro Train (OLMT) to make the project successful, Pakistan Today has learnt.

These routes will permanently be closed soon after the completion of the OMLT project.

According to estimates, more than half a million commuters travel through different means on the roads located at the under-construction OLMT route where the LTC buses were accommodating more than 200,000 commuters on a daily basis.

Sources privy to the development told Pakistan Today that the routes which will be closed include 102, 103, 104, 105, 107, B2 and B4. They said that among these routes B2 and B4 belong to the Lahore Transport Company (LTC) which is a subsidiary of the Punjab government.

Sources informed that LTC already had suspended the operations of the B2 and B4 routes due to the construction work of the project while it had given permission to other Light Occupancy Vehicles (LOVs) including the 102, 103, 104, 105, 107 to operate on the Multan Road.

The LOV route 102 is operating from Rang Mehal to Liaqat Chowk, 103 from Rang Mehal to Samanabad, 104 from the Railway Station to Pakki Thatti, 105 from Railway Station to Thokar Niaz Baig and 107 from the Bhaati Gate to Manga Mandi while accommodating thousands of commuters daily.

On the other hand, the suspended LTC route B2 operated from the Lahore General Bus Stand (Badami Bagh) to Thokar Niaz Baig via Azadi Chowk, Taxali Gate, Bhaati Gate and the Old Anarkali Road via Jain Mandir, Chauburji, Samanabad, Bhala Chowk, Yateem Khana Chowk (Band Road), Grand Battery, Scheme Mor, Fawara Chowk, Bijhli Ghar, Kharrak Nallah, Multan Chungi (Wahdat Road) and Hanjarwal.

The other LTC route B4 accommodated commuters at the Lahore General Bus Stand (Badami Bagh), Kashmiri Gate, Aik Moria, Lahore Junction Station and the  Boharwala Chowk on Allama Iqbal Road via Javed Manzil, UET, Singhpura, Baghabanpura, Shalimar Chowk, Pakistan Mint, Daroghawala, Salamatpura, Quaid-e-Azam Interchange, Manawan, Batapur, Jallo Morr, Dial Pind and Wahga.

Moreover, sources informed that after the closure of these routes, the Punjab Mass Transit Authority will introduce four new routes along the project. However, they could not confirm the routes’ details as they have not yet been finalised.

The spokesperson of the Lahore Transport Company while speaking to Pakistan Today confirmed that after the completion of the project, various routes along the OLMT route will be closed. He also said that the Punjab Mass Transit Authority is all set to start feeder routes to accommodate the commuters.

“The strategy has been established in a way that no commuter could suffer due to the closure of these routes,” he said and added that the reason of closing the routes was not to make the OLMT successful, but to provide a safe and cheap commuting facility to the people.