First Punjab Transport Expo 2025 held in Lahore on 4 September. This two day International Transport Expo will bring multiple transportation technology and manufacturing of Pakistan on the page. Expo event continues to 5 September.
On the first day, a Chinese-made electric tram was also showcased, which was tested on the streets of Lahore a few days ago and was much talked about on the internet. The routes that have been set for this tram are about 24 km to 25 km, which is from Thokar Niaz Baig to Harbanspura.
There are expected to be 26 stations on this route and the Punjab government has planned to operate 18 sets of electric trams in Lahore with a headway of 5 to 7 minutes.
The feasibility of whether this tram will be given a separate road or will be run in mixed traffic is currently being checked by the Punjab government. They are quite large in size and have been tested on the roads of Lahore under preliminary protocols.
According to Norinco International, they have provided both automated and driver-based options. Now it is up to the Punjab government to choose from the options. A Norinco representative said at the expo that if the government uses dedicated routes, then this automated feature will definitely be usable. And this vehicle has an autonomous level L-2, which allows it to detect any obstacle and adjust braking and acceleration.
The tram will run on a daily route for 16 hours and is forecasted to carry approximately 160,000 passengers per day. The biggest advantage of this super-autonomous tram is that it costs one-tenth of the cost of the Orange Metro Line.
Its biggest advantage over other conventional trams is that it has no additional catenary, meaning no overhead electric cables or chains, and no rails or tracks like trains. Just plug and play.
And the biggest advantage is that while a bus can accommodate a maximum of 40 to 50 passengers at a time, this electric tram is capable of accommodating more than 300 passengers.
This tram is fully charged in 3 hours, providing a range of 70 km. But it also has fast charging technology, which allows you to travel up to 25 km by charging in just 10 minutes.
Very soon we will see this tram on the roads of Lahore and other cities of Punjab as well. Therefore, this is a very good initiative by the Punjab government and CM Maryam Nawaz.
You can review it further by visiting the Lahore Expo Center till 5 September 2025.
