In a landmark decision for urban transport in Pakistan, the Punjab government approved the country’s first fully underground metro train project in March 2026. The approval marks a new chapter in Pakistani rail development — while Lahore’s Orange Line runs largely elevated with a short underground section, the newly approved project will be the first metro built entirely below ground.
The decision reflects a broader momentum behind rail-based transport in the country, arriving in the same season as Pakistan Railways’ sweeping 2026 reform package, new passenger train launches, and major station modernisation works.
Why Underground?
Fully underground alignment allows the metro to serve the densest urban corridors without demolishing buildings, disrupting road traffic during operations, or carving elevated structures through historic districts. Tunnelling costs more per kilometre than elevated construction, but it preserves the surface city and enables stations to be placed directly beneath the busiest commercial and residential zones.
The project will rely on tunnel boring machines of the kind used for metro construction across Asia, and its delivery will build engineering capacity that future Pakistani urban rail projects can draw upon.
Rail Momentum Across Pakistan
The metro approval is best understood as part of a wider shift. Pakistan Railways is expanding intercity services — with six new trains announced for Sindh, coach counts raised from 15 to 19 on key trains, and Balochistan services restored — while provinces are investing in urban rail to tackle congestion and air quality in their largest cities.
Together, these investments signal renewed public confidence in rail as the backbone of both intercity and urban mobility, after decades in which road transport absorbed nearly all infrastructure spending.
What Comes Next
Detailed design, financing arrangements, and contractor selection are the next milestones for the underground metro, with construction timelines to be announced by the provincial government. Urban transport planners across the country will be watching closely.
While the metro takes shape, intercity rail is live today — you can track any Pakistan Railways train in real time on TrainTracking.pk, from the Karachi Express to the Jaffar Express.