Punjab Transport Minister Bilal Akbar has officially confirmed the route for Lahore’s electric tram project, announcing that the contract process has been completed and the scheme has entered its procurement phase, with operations expected to begin during fiscal year 2026-27. The tram will start from Lahore’s Central Business District, travel through key arteries including Jail Road and Mall Road, and conclude at Istanbul Chowk, serving thousands of daily commuters while improving connectivity across key commercial and administrative areas.
The project builds on earlier feasibility work and a pilot initiative conducted last year, when Punjab authorities displayed a Chinese-imported three-compartment electric tram assembled in Lahore that was capable of carrying more than 200 passengers. That vehicle was tested along Canal Road and other corridors, and officials said the trial helped prepare the ground for the current implementation phase now moving toward procurement. An earlier proposal to develop a full metro-style system for the project has been deferred in favour of a more practical and cost-effective electric tram model. The revised approach is designed to enhance urban mobility without requiring large-scale underground or elevated infrastructure development, making the project faster and more feasible to implement within the current fiscal timeline.
The system is expected to operate on a fully electrified model supported by solar-powered charging stations, a feature officials say will help cut reliance on fossil fuels and reduce emissions, aligning the project with Punjab’s broader environmental commitments. Minister Bilal Akbar also confirmed that no trees will be cut down during the execution of the tram project, emphasising the government’s commitment to sustainable development and its intent to modernise Lahore’s transport network without compromising the city’s green spaces. The carefully planned route connecting the Central Business District to Istanbul Chowk via Jail Road and Mall Road passes through some of Lahore’s most heavily trafficked corridors, linking commercial hubs, government offices, hospitals, and educational institutions in a corridor that currently experiences severe peak-hour congestion.
The Lahore electric tram announcement forms part of a wider provincial push toward modern and environmentally friendly public transport across Punjab, which has simultaneously approved the procurement of over 500 additional Green Electric Buses, confirmed the expansion of the Green Electric Bus network to 20 new sectors in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, and seen federal Budget 2026-27 allocate zero customs duty on electric buses and a more than doubled public transport subsidy for the twin cities. For Lahore, the electric tram represents a qualitatively different kind of transit investment from the bus-based solutions deployed across the province, introducing a rail-guided electric vehicle to a city corridor that connects its economic and historic heart in a way that bus services on shared road space have been unable to do reliably at scale.
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