By
Olumide T. Agunbiade & Olalekan
Paul
WITH the capacity to employ over 300, 000 workers, cover a
distance of 57 kilometers and a construction cost of about N500 billion (3
billion USD), the Lagos Light Rail Project is arguably one of the biggest
on-going projects in Africa.
The Light Rail is a bold statement by
the state government in its drive towards achieving a Mega City status for
Lagos state. Lagos, Nigeria’s economic hub accounts for about 65% of industry
in the country and contributes more than 70% of the nation’s economic output.
The light rail, which has its Blue
Line near completion, will transport 40, 000 commuters to and from work daily.
The Blue Line will have 13 stations and end- to-end journey will take only 35
minutes approximately-a sharp contrast to the long hours it currently takes by
road coupled with the traffic nightmare.
According to CPCS
Transcom, an infrastructure development consulting firm, and transaction
adviser to the Lagos State Government for the Blue Line project, ‘‘the
infrastructure will consist of 27km of double track, 13 passengers stations,
and a 1250-metre 4-track bridge spanning the
lagoon and connecting Lagos Island to the mainland. The Blue Line will
be the first of 7 light rail transit that will eventually comprise the Lagos
Urban Rail network.’’
On completion of the Blue Line,
construction of the Red line will commence. It will run from Marina to Agbado in Ogun State. It is expected that the line will
share the existing 30 metres wide right-of-way with the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) line.
China Civil Engineering Construction
Corporation (CCECC) is the engineering company saddled with the responsibility
of bringing the Blue Line project to a reality. According to Head of Human
Resource, Mr. Msa Tom Ijitoye the Chinese firm has spread to over 40
countries where more than 20 overseas offices or subsidiaries have been
established. This construction company was also listed among the world’s top
225 international contractors by the Engineering News Record “ENR”.
The Blue
Line will cost $1.2billion and will be funded entirely by the Lagos State
Government from its own resources. The State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola in
November 2011, disclosed that the first 8 kilometres of the Blue Line light
rail project will be completed by May, 2012.
Despite
being the smallest state in the country (by land mass), the state has the
second highest population after Kano. According to 1999 UN study, the city’s
population will reach the 24.5 million mark by 2015.
The light
rail can therefore not have come at a better time when the city depends solely
on roads for its 75,000 commercial vehicles, 3 million cars and a population of
approximately 15 million people.
The Blue Line route will be on the surface,
running east-west, in the central reservation of the expanded Lagos-Badagry
Expressway-an expansion conceived to ease link between Nigeria and neighbouring
West African countries- between Igbo-Elerin Road (Okokomaiko) and Iganmu.
The
infrastructure will run on an elevated structure from Iganmu along the south
side of the expressway passing the junction with Eric Moore Road, crossing just
south of the National Theatre to Iddo, then south to Lagos Island with a
terminal at Marina.
The Blue
Line will operate over a secure and exclusive right-of-way, with no level
crossings and no uncontrolled access by pedestrians or vehicles. Currently,
construction is underway between National Theatre and Mile 2 and a Maintenance
and Storage Facility (MSF) will be constructed at Okokomaiko, with a track
connection from the Blue Line depot.
The second
line, the Red Line is anticipated to operate with 12-car trains between 2010
and 2015. It is expected to begin as a double line at Marina and runs through
Ebute Ero ending at Iddo. It then runs northwards via a reverse curve to reach
Ebute Metta. It then runs straight to Yaba, Mushin and Oshodi before reaching
Ikeja.
At the
Ikeja station, the Red Line is linked to the line from the international and
domestic airport terminal. From Ikeja, a single line will run to the airport
terminals. The Red Line then moves as a double line further northwards from
Ikeja to pass through Agege, Iju and finally reaches Agbado.
There are
practical reasons to be excited about the Lagos Urban Transportation project.
Good infrastructure lasts a long time: commuters are still enjoying the fruits
of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system developed by Lagos Metropolitan Area
Transport Authority (LAMATA).
In France,
more businesses have relocated their headquarters to the capital since the
Paris-Lyon high speed line opened in 1981.Since a new Spanish railroad opened
in 1992, Madrid’s business population has swelled at the expense of Seville and
Britain is still enjoying the fruits of the Victorian railway investment.
The Lagos
State Government might have settled for the purchase of 15-year-old subway cars
from the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). In May, 2011, key officials of the
Lagos State Government led by the governor, visited Toronto, Canada to inspect
facilities and number of used subway cars currently being operated by the
city’s commission.
The visit
to Toronto, Canada’s most populous city, allowed the governor to experience
firsthand, the operation of the city’s underground railway lines, which was
first commissioned in 1954.
In
December, 2010, the City of Toronto unveiled its new fleet of subway cars that
will replace the existing ones-being considered by Lagos. On October, 2011, a
Lagos based transport firm, Eko Rail purchased 225 Light rail trains from
Toronto Transit Commission (TTC).
The
funding was provided by Investec Plc, a popular finance firm who has
efficiently aided well over 25 rail projects worldwide. Eko Rail is expected to
invest around $450 million to construct the Lagos Blue Line.
Experts on
the Lagos Light Rail project posited that due to the high cost of buying new
trains or subway cars, the state government has no choice but to settle for
used ones.
The Blue
and Red Lines will have 13 stations each. Three stations in the south end of
the Red Line will be shared with the Blue Line and a combined figure of 23
stations.
The
stations will have Island-style platforms and commuter payment systems. Public
address and electric information screens will be installed in each station. A
number of rail crossings with elevated road structures will also be built along
the lines.
Other
infrastructures to be built as part of the project include stations; Signaling
Control and Communications (SC&C) systems; Supervisory Control and Data
Acquisition (SCADA) systems; depot and workshop facilities; an operations
control centre and a training facility for train drivers.
A total of
35 pedestrian bridges are expected to be constructed over the Nigerian Railway
corridor. Cable ducts and walkways, in addition to drainage system with two
walls will be built along different sections of the lines.
The
economic value of the project is unlimited. According to Ijitoye, Head of Human
Resource, CCECC, ‘skilled and unskilled labour is being utilized and
outstanding personnel have been sent abroad to enhance their knowledge in
construction.’
Research
indicates that movement and larger market penetration of people to former
deserted areas of Lagos Metropolis such as Iyana Iba, Okokomaiko, Badagry,
Ajangbadi and Oke-Afon has increased in anticipation of the ongoing development
project. ‘‘Many people are moving back to their properties after abandoning
them for a long time.’’ Said Samuel Akingbade, who resides at Ajangbadi area of
Lagos.
The light
rail system will employ the latest train authorization systems, Automatic Train
Protection (ATP) and in-cabing signaling in all of its lines. The wayside
equipment will be minimized so that the drivers will not exceed the authorized
movement limits.
Former
Governor of Lagos State, Alhaji Lateef Jakande attempted to bring similar projects
in the 1980’s when he tried to introduce tram services to Lagos State. The
project was scrapped in 1985 by Muhammadu Buhari at a loss of over $78 million
to the Lagos tax payers.
However, the project was later revived by
Governor Bola Tinubu in early 2000 when an initial $135 million proposal was
drawn as part of the greater Lagos Urban Transportation Project to be
implemented by the newly formed Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority
(LAMATA) and a formal announcement of its construction was made in December,
2003.
Meanwhile,
Lagos State Governor, Mr. Fashola has reiterated his commitment to continue
reducing the infrastructure deficit of the state in order to increase its
rating as a strategic business friendly city.
Indeed,
better days lie ahead for commuters and their traffic pains would soon be over.
The Lagos Light Rail project which has recorded significant progress could be
the solution to the traffic nightmare that has plagued the city for over three
decades.
BLUE LINE RED LINE
Marina
(shared with Red Line) Marina
(shared with Blue Line)
Ebute Ero
(shared with Red Line) Ebute
Ero (shared with Blue Line)
Iddo
(shared with Red Line) Iddo (shared with Blue Line)
National
Theatre
Ebute Metta
Iganmu
Yaba
Alaba Jibowu
Mile
2 Mushin
Festac Oshodi
Alakija Shogunle
Trade
Fair Ikeja
Volkswagen Agege
LASU Iju
Okokomaiko Agbado
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