geniusgenes:
anyone can hate, but although i dislike APC, ambode is working

geniusgenes:
anyone can hate, but although i dislike APC, ambode is working

www.nairaland.com/attachments/2135824_image_jpeg9f360c5ab7736510df54c882e9dbf188


TTC in talks to sell old trains to Lagos. Are they safe enough?
AUGUST 10, 2011

As Toronto trainspotters gleefully take maiden rides on the TTC's Rocket, commuters in Lagos, Nigeria may be about to get some new trains of their own. Our old ones.

A TTC spokesperson has confirmed that the commission is negotiating with a private group to sell up to 260 used train cars to the West African megacity's new transit project.

"I can confirm that the TTC is in discussion with a third party that wants to purchase trains for Lagos," said commission spokesperson Brad Ross. "Over a period of time, they will be taken out of service and then transported over to Nigeria."

The cars being considered for sale are the TTC's old H-5 and H-6 models, which will be decommissioned as the TTC rolls out its new fleet of Rockets. Ross predicts the earliest they could be shipped to Nigeria is sometime in 2012.

Traffic snarls are already a major economic problem in the Nigerian capital, a booming city that will reach an estimated population of 25 million by 2015. A new above-ground rail system designed to carry 1.5 million people a day has already broken ground, and Lagos Governor Babtunde Fashola has said it "will be the most multi-dimensional and most impactful" of the government's efforts to reduce traffic congestion.

Fashola visited Toronto earlier this year to inspect the TTC trains.

The Lagos deal would be the first of its kind for the TTC. Decommissioned cars are usually sold for scrap metal and can fetch up to $1,500 dollar each. While Ross declined to discuss specific figures, he says the sticker price for Lagos is "significantly more" than scrap prices, putting the potential profits to the TTC in the millions of dollars.

It is not unusual for technology from western nations to end up in poorer countries. Marketplaces in Africa and Asia are flooded with North American clothes, computers, and even cars, but the purchase of larger technology like trains is rarer.

The cars will have to be significantly refurbished to fit existing infrastructure in Lagos, and some Nigerian media reports have lamented that the government appears to have settled on "tokundo," or used, trains instead of brand new vehicles.

Although half the cars are more than 30 years old, Ross is adamant they are perfectly safe and are only being decommissioned for capacity reasons. But he also admitted the TTC is not required to make sure the cars meet any safety standards before selling them.

"Once sold, it's up to the new operator to ensure they are in good working order," he said. "They do need to be maintained much more frequently than the new trains, simply because of their age. At some point they will run out their useful life."

Murtaza Haider, director of the Institute of Housing and Mobility at Ryerson University, said the age of the cars is definitely a cause for concern.

"We should be ensuring that there is some service life left in these vehicles and we're not going to be playing havoc with the lives of those who would ride these vehicles," Haider said. "There's metal fatigue, and that metal fatigue could result in dangerous conditions. I would be paying a close watch on this for the next ten years to see how many accidents do happen in Lagos."

He also warned that while rail systems are glamorous as far as transit infrastructure goes, they are not always as effective at reducing congestion as other options. Nevertheless, new rail systems are frequently preferred because governments can take advantage of kickbacks from large contracts.

According to media reports, the cost estimates for the Lagos rail project have varied wildly from $1.2 billion to $30 billion. In 2010, a Nigerian government watchdog accused Fashola's government of widespread corruption.

"More often than not, politicians favour rail transit because it is more expensive," Haider said. "It's almost useless in some cases, and less productive in most cases, than a bus system. But you can't buy busses for $30 billion. You can inflate prices and make a lot of money buying a rail system."

From: https://nowtoronto.com/news/next-stop-nigeria/

geniusgenes:
anyone can hate, but although i dislike APC, ambode is working

geniusgenes:
[size=18pt]anyone can hate, but although i dislike APC, ambode is working[/size]

sherif4owo:



Ambode working??

I'm not sure I can say that yet.

All I see is a lot of promises yet to be fulfilled, I guess he is just lucky as not much is expected of him.

kajoula:
.

carlcar2012:

I believe you don't reside in Lagos, d talk rubbish, wetin he don work?

anonimi:

Is he?
Do you know why he has not completed the light rail after 17 years of progreTHIEVES administering the state of "excellence" and $1 billion LOAN down the drain
Unlike Jonathan who revived and continuously modernised the national railways in just 5 years.

carlcar2012:


I believe you don't reside in Lagos, d talk rubbish, wetin he don work?

Isrealite spotted

geniusgenes:
anyone can hate, but although i dislike APC, ambode is working

geniusgenes:
he's really been in the news latly, or is he pulling a ROCHAS on everyone?

Lagos light rail’ll be ready in June – Fashola
JANUARY 9, 2013

The Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola on Tuesday said the first phase of the state Blue Light Rail project would be completed by June this year(2013).

He expressed confidence that Lagosians would start enjoying the services of the lrail project immediately.

The first phase would run from Marina and terminated at Okokomaiko area in Ojo Local Government.

Fashola spoke during an inspection of ongoing projects in the state which took him and his cabinet members to Orile-Iganmu, Alimosho and Ejigbo areas among others to assess the level of works being done by contractors.

The governor, who inaugurated the trackwork of the blue light rail at Alaba Suru, Coker-Agunda Local Council Development Area, said the level of work on the road and those of the National Theatre and Alaba-Mile 2 rail stations, would ensure early completion

He said, “In order to finish the project, the contractor did not go on vacation during the festive period. This will ensure that the project is delivered on time for the use of Lagosians.

More from: http://www.punchng.com/news/lagos-light-railll-be-ready-in-june-fashola/

How We Spent N160bn World Bank Loan on Light Rail Project
11 Sep 2014
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He, therefore, explained that the state government already “has in place, strategies to repay the loan. The federal government was in the know of the state’s decision to take the bond and it approved it.”

He added that the truth “is that what they do not also say is that no state in Nigeria can borrow money outside, from any multilateral agencies without the approval of the federal government.

“What they did not say is that they approved it. No state can raise money by bond the way we have done without the federal government’s approval. Both SEC and NSE are all federal regulatory agencies through which we must pass. If they said okay, it means there must be something good about the debt.

More from: http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/lagos-how-we-spent-n160bn-world-bank-loan-on-light-rail-project/188736/

Why I reached out to Igbo voters –Ambode, Lagos APC governorship candidate
APRIL 4, 2015
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When is the light rail going to be delivered, the project seems to be going on for years?

I just said it, it’s being funded by Lagos State and the Federal Government support is not there. But I believe strongly that we will create a financial restructuring that will allow us to deliver that light rail within the next 18 months.

More from: http://www.punchng.com/feature/hotseat/why-i-reached-out-to-igbo-voters-ambode-lagos-apc-governorship-candidate/