Lagosians may have to exercise
more patience, as they anticipate the completion of the 37-kilometre-long Lagos
Rail Mass Transit (LRMT) Red Line project.
The construction of the rail
infrastructure is at the finishing stage, but Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu said
the project will not open to the public until all stations are completely
furnished and safety features put in place.
The Governor, on Wednesday,
undertook a comprehensive inspection of the Red Line infrastructure, traversing
the major stations of the rail project. The Deputy Governor, Dr. Obafemi
Hamzat, and members of the State cabinet joined the Governor on the tour.
Beside, Sanwo-Olu inspected
retrofitting work on Talgo train coaches waiting to be deployed for the Red
Line operation. The trains are being equipped in Nigeria Railway Corporation
(NRC) compound, Mobolaji Johnson Station, in Ebute Metta.
Construction of the Red Line
project, which was conceived and started by the Sanwo-Olu administration, is
being undertaken by Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA). The
rail project starts from Agbado and terminates in Oyingbo.
Sanwo-Olu kicked off the tour with
the visit to Agbado at a boundary with Ogun State, where the Governor and his
team took stock of the development of the rail terminal being built hundreds of
metres away from the Lateef Jakande Station owned by of the NRC.
The team stopped at the Iju and
Agege terminals of the Red Line, where the stations had been completed with
their platforms and furniture being fitted to prepare them for operation.
At the Ikeja mega station of the
rail line, turnstiles, escalators, cooling system, lighting components and
other ancillary features had been installed; only work left to do was in-building
demarcations and cleaning.
At Yaba Station of the Red Line,
the Governor was received by an excited crowd of residents who joined him
inspecting the infrastructure.
Sanwo-Olu said he was impressed by
the progress of the project and the quality of construction done, assuring
Lagosians that the project would be completed by the end of the year.
The Governor ordered comprehensive
cleanup of the Red Line corridor ahead of the completion, directing an immediate
evacuation of illegal traders and intruders along the rail tracks.
He said: “We took the opportunity
of holiday to inspect the construction of the Red Line infrastructure, which is
at the finishing stage. In all the stops we have made, we could see the state
of the stations and their platforms. We noticed there is still some work that
still needs to be done, especially around cleaning up of all illegal activities
that are being conducted on the rail corridor, which should not have happened.
We are also taking final approach around all pedestrian bridges to be completed
along the route.
“From my observation, I can say
that I am very impressed with the level of work by all contractors working on
the Red Line project. I believe we are on track to finish the project by the
end of this year. We will push the contractors to work tirelessly to see how
they can finish on time. We will be strict on enforcement in taking out
intruders from the rail corridor. We have given evacuation notice to all
traders found on the corridor; we will wall off the entire corridor to make it
free for passengers movement when the operation starts.
“Construction of the Red Line is
on track and a lot of people cannot wait for its completion and the day they
will start using it. But we cannot take safety measures for granted. Everything
must be put in place before we can launch it. That is why I have taken time to
come out today and push the contractors for the cleaning up, testing and
completion. We want to give the best for our citizens; this is the minimum they
deserve to get from my Government.”
Sanwo-Olu said since the Red Line
tracks are at grid level, it would be necessary to completely wall off the
corridor to ensure non-interference with the tracks and prevent accidents that
may claim lives.
From next month, the Governor said
there would be relief in vehicular movement on flyovers being put in place to
aid rail crossings.
Some of the completed flyovers
include, Ikeja Along Flyover, Yaba and Ebute Metta flyovers.
Sanwo-Olu disclosed that Yaba
Bridge would open to traffic in October, while other completed flyovers along
the Red Line corridor would be opened in succession from next month before the
commissioning of the rail project.
He said: “Before we finally launch
the Red Line, we will give vehicular relief to our citizens around rail
crossings. The first bridge we will possibly open for traffic is Yaba Bridge
which will happen in October. Weeks after, we will open another bridge that has
been completed and do same for others.
“The Government is on track with
our promise to deliver two rail infrastructure. We have delivered the Blue Line
and has started operations. The second phase of the Blue Line has been awarded
and the contractor has since moved to site. Its completion may happen faster
than we expected.”
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