Jan 29, 2014: International tenders for the project were floated.

Feb 19, 2014: A meeting of the president of Pakistan with Chinese premier was held where China decided to fund the project.

June 24, 2014: China recommended CR-NORINCO Joint Venture to execute the project.

Aug 4, 2014: CR-NORINCO emerged as lowest bidder with bid price of $2.139 billion.

Oct 2015: The LDA started acquiring land under Land Acquisition Act, 1894. Civil work on the project started. Up to 620 trees were to fell.

Dec 21, 2015: The federal government and Exim Bank of China signed an agreement under which the bank was to provide a Rs162 billion loan for the project and it released the first tranche of $331.08 million.2016: Civil society launched massive protests against the project for being damaging to the heritage sites, such as the Shalamar Gardens.

The timeline of the mass transit project

2016: The World Heritage Committee of the Unesco directed the government to halt the construction activities.

2016: Civil society challenged the project in the Lahore High Court that issued a stay order in this regard. Later, the court scrapped the project.

2016: The government challenged the decision in the Supreme Court of Pakistan that allowed the government to execute subject to protecting the all heritage sites under immense care.

June 21, 2017: Up to 25 construction workers died in various incidents at orange line sites. The incident included death of seven workers in a fire that erupted on the third storey of a makeshift residence for workers in Mahmood Booti area and seven killed when a wall of a godown collapsed on their makeshift residence.

May, 2018: Then chief minister Shehbaz Sharif inaugurated the trail run of the train.

Dec 10, 2019: Test run of the Orange Line Metro Train began on the entire 27-km route (Dera Gujran to Ali Town).

Oct 20, 2020: The government sets Rs40 flat fare per passenger per trip.

Oct 25, 2020: The train is chugging.

Published in Dawn, October 25th, 2020