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Monday, 27 May 2013

FEATURE: LAGOS LIGHT RAIL: ANTICIPATING A WORKING MEDIUM

By Olumide T.  Agunbiade and  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 who spoke exclusively to SF PR, 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.’
SF PR 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.
Anticipating a working medium








                        PROPOSED STATIONS
BLUELINEREDLINE
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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