very evening, crowds gather around an illuminated dancing fountain outside the City Railway Station. Once a picture of decay and congestion, the historic roundabout has undergone a major makeover that has transformed the site into a vibrant public square complete with landscaped seating, pedestrian walkways and lively coffee kiosks.

The transformation is part of the Lahore Heritage Areas Revival’s Urban Regeneration Project, which aims to modernise public spaces, improve traffic flow, create expansive green belts and establish organised parking facilities around the station. It is spearheaded by the Lahore Development Authority.

While LAHR handles built historic monuments, the Punjab government’s freshly launched Green Railway Corridor initiative serves as the eco-infrastructure backbone of the urban shift.

Executed jointly by the Punjab Horticulture Authority and Pakistan Railways, the GRC is a four-phase project, budgeted at over Rs 1.77 billion and spanning a distance of 45 kilometres. It is designed to “convert unutilised land along railway tracks into public parks and green spaces across the province.”

According to the Punjab government’s official web portal, 20 acres of land stretching from Shahdara to Raiwind has been transformed into green belts and recreational areas, and 21 parks completed to date in the first phase. The target is to build 32 parks in all.

The initiative seeks to plant dense indigenous flora along the rail spine — specifically referred to as a “green lung” to fight Lahore’s severe seasonal smog and heat-island effects — and repurpose decommissioned train carriages into cultural cafés, small libraries and art kiosks, seamlessly blending industrial heritage with urban park design.

The GRC directly interacts with the historic zones because the railway line cuts right past key heritage points. For instance, the corridor links directly into the Shahdara Complex (Jahangir and Nur Jahan’s tombs), serving as a green entry gateway to the north.

DA Director General Tahir Farooq says that the Rs 2.5 billion initiative spans a three-kilometre radius around the railway station hub. It encompasses road resurfacing, upgraded street lighting, drainage improvements and extensive urban forestry, he tells The News on Sunday.

The wider project reaches into historical neighbourhoods including Misri Shah, Badami Bagh, Data Darbar, Neela Gumbad, Nasser Bagh and Circular Garden — in a strategic effort to boost tourism and mobility in northern Lahore.

The GRC directly interacts with the historic zones because the railway line cuts right past key heritage points. For instance, the corridor links directly into the Shahdara Complex (Jahangir and Nur Jahan’s tombs), serving as a green entry gateway to the north.

Project Director Haroon Saifi notes that 52 kanals of land belonging to Pakistan Railways was repurposed for public use in a record five months’ time. The newly developed zone includes gazebos, shaded pedestrian pathways and organised transport bays. Visually, the surroundings now feature the iconic railway red hue across nearby structures, establishing a unified architectural identity.

To solve the area’s chronic waterlogging issue during monsoon season, engineers overhauled the drainage infrastructure and integrated rainwater harvesting systems to irrigate the newly planted greenbelts.

Traffic management was similarly restructured: dedicated lanes now segregate buses, personal vehicles and motorcycles, supported by modernised signalling systems and new route planning through key intersections such as Nakhuda Chowk, Shadbagh Chowk and Tokay Wala Chowk.

opular praise for the station’s modernisation notwithstanding, some experts argue for an approach more sensitive to historical preservation. Artist and conservationist Dr Ajaz Anwar says that historic urban corridors require careful balancing between commercial development and spatial heritage.

“Historically, open public spaces served distinct civic functions,” he says. “They should not be congested with heavy construction, expansive parking lots or asphalt roads.”

Dr Anwar specifically questions the need for of a massive parking facility, noting that a lot of rail commuters are dropped off by taxis rather than leaving behind private vehicles that may remain parked for days.

He also cautions against introducing intrusive decorative structures, such as decommissioned engines, which he warns can cause visual obstruction and alter the spatial integrity of colonial-era architecture.

Reflecting on past urban changes, Dr Anwar points to historic districts like Neela Gumbad — formerly home to one of Pakistan’s largest bicycle markets — where shifting commercial priorities gradually displaced traditional public life.

Drawing a comparison with cities that have dedicated cycling networks, Dr Anwar says that municipal planning should prioritise non-motorised transport. “Bicycles provide clean and quiet transit. Urban revival projects ought to encourage walking and cycling rather than prioritising vehicle storage.”

He says that the City railway station’s immediate environs possess rich historical and strategic weight. Designed by British engineers following the 1857 uprising, the railway station was constructed as a fortified hub, complete with defensive turrets, gun ports and strategic sightlines. Its position was deliberately aligned with major arterial roads - Empress Road and Railway Road — the latter providing a direct, unimpeded link to Mayo Hospital for rapid medical transport during emergencies.

Dr Anwar says urban regeneration should go beyond cosmetic beautification. True preservation, he argues, lies in respecting the historic layout, maintaining clear visual corridors and ensuring that civic spaces remain open, accessible and functional.

Ahsan Raza is the editor of an English daily. He can be reached at [email protected]