LAHORE: Pakistan’s first urban on-road electric train – Super Autonomous Rapid Transit (SRT) – is being launched in Lahore.

Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz had a trial trip on the SRT from Main Ali Town to Muslim Town here on Wednesday.

She also inspected the SRT operation andreviewed the road test drive amidst normal traffic. The SRT is already running successfully in Turkey, China and other countries.

“In Abu Dhabi, three bogies of SRT against a capacity of four have been installed. Norco International’s latest SRT has a capacity of 320 passengers. The first complete e-train SRT can travel 40 kilometers after a single charge,” she said and added the SRT would have air conditioning and other facilities.

It would reduce environmental pollution and improve traffic on roads,” she said and added that the beauty of Lahore would be doubled with the running of SRT. “Good news of SRT is also coming to Gujranwala and Faisalabad,” she added.

HOUSING SCHEME: Speaking at an event held here in connection with the ‘Apni Chhat Apna Ghar’ project, the CM criticised the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), saying that the politics of “chaos and abusive language” had been buried under the government’s performance.

“These people who indulge in arson and vandalism have no idea how fulfilling it is to serve the public,” she said.

She taunted the PTI, saying that IGP Dr Usman Anwar kept waiting (for the protesters), but no one came out to protest on August 5. “Now, the fate of Pakistan and Punjab will be written through service, not conspiracies,” she said.

She said that the Punjab government had set a new record by building 62,500 houses in six months. “Interest-free loans of more than Rs74 billion have been given under 5-10 marla Apni Chhat Apna Ghar scheme. The public has also set a record of 99.9 perecnt loan repayment.”

She said loan installments had been released to more than 37,000 families. More than 52,000 houses are under construction. She promised the people to provide them 100,000 houses every year.

Published in Dawn, August 7th, 2025