Urooj Niazi 
lahore trials the first trackless metro in pakistan
Lahore Starts Testing Pakistan’s First Trackless Metro
Lahore has stepped into the future of public transportation with the testing of Pakistan’s first-ever trackless metro system. Dubbed the Super Autonomous Rail Rapid Transit (SRT), this modern mode of metro operates on the road rather than on physical rail tracks, which allows it to be called a “subway on the road.”
The test vehicle arrived in Lahore earlier this month and is being tested to measure its suitability for the urban traffic needs of Pakistan. The SRT uses virtual track technology, so rather than running like a train on tracks, it is programmed by a computer system to follow a tracked path while being guided by sensors based on GPS. The most beneficial part? The system will reduce infrastructure expenditures and accelerate project timelines, which is appealing for developing cities.
The SRT is already operational in other countries, including China, Türkiye, Malaysia, and the UAE. The SRT was formally introduced in China in 2021, taking home the Zhan Tianyou Award for innovative achievement in civil engineering in the process.
Lahore’s infrastructure and transportation authorities are still in the trial stages for now, and the government of Punjab has not yet determined when or if the SRT will definitively be adopted, but the ongoing trial project can now help assess the potential efficacy and implementation of the system to serve rapidly growing cities in Pakistan. If successful, the trackless metro could alter how citizens of Pakistan traverse their cities, providing a quicker, more modern, and cheaper means of travel along busy urban thoroughfares.
