· Says train project will ease transportation challenges, increase output
Published By News Editor
The Central Bank of Nigeria yesterday gave its stamp of satisfaction on the Lagos State Government and gave it a pass mark to the Lagos Red Rail Line.
The Director Development Finance Department Engr Ysuf Phillip Yila, who led two other top Directors; Mr Clement Buari, Director of Strategy Management and Dr Blaise Ijebor, Director of Risk Management, among other officials and members of the media, on an oversight function of the project, expressed satisfaction at the pace of work, saying they would be looking forward to full commercial operation of the project by first quarter of 2023.
The CBN facilitated a N68 billion loan from six banks – Zenith Bank, Access Bank, UBA, Sterling IBTC, Fidelity Bank, and Ecobank.
Yila said: “As an engineer, I know the enormous amount of work that has gone into this project and we must commend the state government for pushing the project to this level. We have seen the level of the structure. Most of the multi-level edifices are already in place and installation of fittings will soon begin. We have been told by the Managing Director of LAMATA that all construction will be completed by year end and commercial operation will commence by first quarter 2023. We look forward to that promise, because we know the enormous impact this would have on transportation in the state.”
Yila who observed that the state is under enormous pressure in the area of transportation, said the infrastructure is already over-burdened and a lot of relief could be brought to bear if the train service is delivered.
“We have toured the Blue Light rail project late last year and we are happy at the pace of development. Now we are here at Ikeja which is a major station in the Red Line corridor, and we are satisfied that things have gone at a fast pace. We are confident that this would be delivered on schedule and we would be excited to ride on the train from Ikeja to Oyingbo.
“Lagos is like a mini Nigeria and the economic nerve centre of the nation. We can all see how people are just moving into the state and the insecurity in the Northeast and Northwest is not helping matters. So this will go a long way in bringing relief to residents living in the state and assist Lagos in managing traffic in the metropolis.
Conducting the CBN inspection team round the Red Line project, LAMATA MD, Engr Mrs Abimbola Akinajo said the civil works would be completed on both the Blue and the Red corridors by year end, while commercial operation would begin on both by first quarter 2023.
Giving technical details of the Red Line, Akinajo said the signaling is calibrated for trains to leave the stations every three minutes, adding that this can be recalibrated if passenger traffic demands more frequency.
She said the Ikeja station is a four level structure that would have a 500 metres sky walk on the fourth floor of the facility to the Local Airport, Ikeja.
To reduce human impact on the tracks, one million metres flyover, made up of 700 metres from the track alignment and another 300 metres into the Ikeja inner road is being constructed to take traffic from the Simbiat Abiola Way right over the tracks to land at Ikeja Along.
She disclosed that while the Red Line is going to run on Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU), the Blue Line would run exclusively on Electric Multiple Unit (EMU).
She said eight stations are being constructed on the Red Line and these will be sited at Oyingbo, Yaba, Mushin, Ikeja, Agege, Iju and Agbado, while the Oshodi station would be an integrated station that would link with the existing Oshodi interchange.
She said the government would be establishing a stabling yard at Oyingbo and Agbado, to cater for issues of fueling, maintenance and repairs of the rolling stock.
She disclosed that the government has started the payment of compensation for all affected persons, adding that for the first in the history of projects of such magnitude, the government is paying not only property owners, but also tenants and even street traders whose sheds are affected by the project.
The team later made a stopover at the Obafemi Awolowo Road, the Yaba Terminal, on the Red Line, as well as Ebute-Ero, where they inspected the successful bridging of the lagoon at Apogbon end and Marina, the interchange hub for the Blue Line.