LAHORE: The ordeal of thousands of passengers ended on Monday as the Orange Line Metro Train (OLMT) resumed its operation that remained suspended for five days due to violent protests in the city.

The OLMT service remained suspended from Wednesday to Sunday due to violent protests by the banned Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) and their clashes with the police. Thousands of commuters were badly affected due to the suspension of the facility.

The operation of the service was suspended because the protesters had damaged four stations of the OLMT, of them, two were completely destroyed.

Lahore Transport Company officials fixed two stations while as many others on Salahuddin Road and Bund Road need a full repair and these stations will remain closed. The company would estimate the damages and send the details to the government. The service will be operational from Ali Town to Dera Gujran.

However, the metro bus service only resumed its operation from Gajjumata to the MAO College. The government could not clear the route of the bus service till Shahdara. The bus service was not made operational from MAO College to Shahdara as the Ravi Toll Plaza was not fixed and containers could not be removed from the bus track.

Earlier in the morning, a special ceremony was held at Dera Gujran Depot on the one-year completion of Orange Line Metro Train. Chinese Acting Consul General Peng Zhengwu was the chief guest.

Published in Dawn, October 26th, 2021