Sincere 9gerian: Mr. David Ndakotsu, Assistant Director, Public Relations NRC told Vanguard that the passenger train service is almost like a charity. “The cost of buying diesel alone is so high that the railway cannot hope for much revenue accruing from the passenger train. That is why we are trying to diversify to the haulage services, in order to generate more income for the railway’s operations”, he said.

Asked how much the haulage services generate per week as against the passengers’, he said he could not disclose that. But an NRC official who preferred anonymity told Vanguard that the wheat traffic alone generates about N25 million per week compared to the paltry N4 million generated by the passenger train service

awodman:
Nonsense...after over 8 years and your Amaechi's monorail has not crossed Mile 1 and you are telling me its worth waiting for...like seriously?

Meanwhile who told you that Amaechi is solely using state funds for the monorail?

Sincere 9gerian: Shortly after the rehabilitation of the intercity train service, the Federal government invested additional N3 billion to rehabilitate the freight train service, including the acquisition of the rail telescopic crane to evacuate accidented trains from the tracks.
The authorities have also gone ahead to launch the container freight service and container haulage has begun to move from Apapa port to the northern part of the country.

Petroleum tanker wagons have also been acquired and thousands of litres of petroleum products are currently being moved from Lagos to Kano every week

kel4soft:

Is only an idiot like you who doesn't know Monorail is an expensive project that should be done with Private partnership. Whereas Amaechi is solely constructing monorail with state funds. Whether it takes till 2015 to complete that section, It is worth waiting for than to sink money on locomotive trains you can't even patronise.
Countries with fast speed trains didn't achieve that feature in 6years despite partnership from private firm. Infact, I better worship Amaechi than your clueless Boss.

ilugunboy:


Ogbeni....what are you ranting about.?

Please be civil.

kel4soft:

Is only an idiot like you who doesn't know Monorail is an expensive project that should be done with Private partnership. Whereas Amaechi is solely constructing monorail with state funds. Whether it takes till 2015 to complete that section, It is worth waiting for than to sink money on locomotive trains you can't even patronise.
Countries with fast speed trains didn't achieve that feature in 6years despite partnership from private firm. Infact, I better worship Amaechi than your clueless Boss.

Sincere 9gerian: None of the APC e-rats have complained about the change of the topic by the OP. Even OAM4J seems to be enjoying the mutilated topic. I hope he doesn't come after me with Tinubu's sledge hammer when I do the same.

Uyi Iredia: ^^^That negativity is justified given that the Nigerian govt. has a track record, quite unparalleled, in waste of funds, inefficent job or maintenance and poor transparency/awareness.

Sincere 9gerian: None of the APC e-rats have complained about the change of the topic by the OP. Even OAM4J seems to be enjoying the mutilated topic. I hope he doesn't come after me with Tinubu's sledge hammer when I do the same.

Sincere 9gerian:
So you prefer a project that is not anywhere near half-way completed by a governor that has spent over 6 years in office to one that is already providing services (moving passengers and goods)? Just because NRC is having challenges of poor services? Do you know when the Rivers Mono rail will be completed? Even when completed, do you know how it operate (cost, etc)? Can you swear that it will not encounter the same challenges reported on this thread?

Haven't you heard of the saying that a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush? Does it mean anything to you?

And from all indications, the Amaechi govt cannot complete the project and there is no guarantee that his successor will continue with the it.

The APC/ACN led govt has also not been able to complete the Lagos light rail project started by Jakande in the 80s. This is a party that has ruled Lagos for 15 years.

Meanwhile, the challenges highlighted in this report are surmountable. The problem is the negative attitude of the average Nigerian, including you, to govt property or work.

Uyi Iredia:



Save your admonition.

Sincere 9gerian:

The APC/ACN led govt has also not been able to complete the Lagos light rail project started by Jakande in the 80s. This is a party that has ruled Lagos for 15 years.

Meanwhile, the challenges highlighted in this report are surmountable. The problem is the negative attitude of the average Nigerian, including you, to govt property or work.

Sincere 9gerian:
Are you joking? You mean peoples poor attitude to their work is justified because of govt bla, bla, bla? So who is the govt? You need serious help.

ba7man: Stop repeating this your lie of Jakande starting the light Rail project.

You're trying to make it appear as if the project has been on for 31yrs.

The problem is the half-baked idea of refurbishing Locomotives and branding it as "Railway Transformation".

And I'm sure people will be shocked at the amount spent to arrive at trains that move so slowly and breakdown.

As usual, Good Idea, half-baked implimentation advertised as "Transformation".

DerideGull: @OP

Most typical Nigerians have reduced them selves to perennial laughing stocks. How could a person possibly think of leaping into the 21st century when he/she has not touched down on 19th century? Nigerian society is an uneducated consumer type and infinitely unaware of its surroundings. It can not produce a rope to hang itself yet it wants to walk on the moon.

In addition, Nigerian society lacks basics required to be production-oriented society. If the Nigeria can not manage simple locative train services which require few mechanical drills and large quantity of diesel fuel, how could it manage the complexity involved in electricity and other requirements involved in monorail services? Nigerians are really funny bunch.

DerideGull: @OP

Most typical Nigerians have reduced them selves to perennial laughing stocks. How could a person possibly think of leaping into the 21st century when he/she has not touched down on 19th century? Nigerian society is an uneducated consumer type and infinitely unaware of its surroundings. It can not produce a rope to hang itself yet it wants to walk on the moon.

In addition, Nigerian society lacks basics required to be production-oriented society. If the Nigeria can not manage simple locative train services which require few mechanical drills and large quantity of diesel fuel, how could it manage the complexity involved in electricity and other requirements involved in monorail services? Nigerians are really funny bunch.

ba7man: Stop repeating this your lie of Jakande starting the light Rail project.

You're trying to make it appear as if the project has been on for 31yrs.

The problem is the half-baked idea of refurbishing Locomotives and branding it as "Railway Transformation".

And I'm sure people will be shocked at the amount spent to arrive at trains that move so slowly and breakdown.

As usual, Good Idea, half-baked implimentation advertised as "Transformation".

ba7man: Maybe you should observe how the U.A.E was able to transform itself in so little time.

All it takes is 1 inspirational leader..... sadly GEJ isn't fit to wear that shoe.

juman: How many years would it take government to put the rail system in order?

Garri the 1st:

Properly fixed... lol

ba7man: Are u aware that you're no 18 on G.E.J's hit list??

Sincere 9gerian: ** These ugly Lagos BRT buses

on June 12, 2013 at 12:34 am in Talking

By Rotimi Fasan
MERE five years separate 2008 from 2013 and that could seem a long time. In the life of a transport system that is meant to cater for millions of commuters weekly if not daily, five years is quite short.

But that is for how long the Bus Rapid Transit has existed in Lagos and it’s already looking like what should be a marathon race is fast turning into a very short sprint given how the management of the BRT system appears to have deteriorated in just five years.

Perhaps long used to very terrible transport system and the regular sight of the BRT buses, Lagosians cannot easily notice the very poor state of many of the buses. I
t, however, takes a visitor to the State or someone who has been away from the city for a while to see the rising problem of the BRT system in Lagos. This was my experience recently after a short absence from Lagos.

The sight of the BRT buses I saw was, to put it mildly, shocking. Yet this couldn’t have been the intention of the Lagos State government when the BRT buses were introduced five years ago.

Many applauded the foresight that gave birth to the system that was in a sense meant to gradually phase out the molue on Lagos roads and bring sanity to mass transportation.

While many may still go around Lagos on the BRT lines I doubt if the experience is now any different from riding in the battered molue that are still to be seen in Lagos. If anything, the deteriorated state of the BRT buses has certainly increased the number ofmolue-cadre buses in the state even if most of them are now in the blue or red colours of the BRT buses.

When the BRT buses began operation in 2008 Nigerians in Lagos had no doubt that the Fashola administration had found what seemed then a decent way to temporarily address the problem of mass transportation in Lagos. The BRT system could only be a temporary solution in the face of the increasing population of Lagos.

There is no way a government could seriously believe that the provision of thousands of buses could take care of the transportation needs of millions of people that daily commute in and around Lagos. This was the problem the metroline project that has remained a pipe dream in more than three decades was meant to address.

But the politics surrounding the actualisation of this project has proven more potent than the desire of those that should make the dream a reality.

This was the context in which the BRT system looked like a decent but temporary way to take care of the transport needs of Lagos. But the stopgap nature of the BRT measure is now clear in the deplorable state of the entire system which is visible in the rundown look of the majority of the BRT buses.

Five years ago anyone could move around in Lagos in the BRT buses except those who perceive themselves too wealthy to share in any form of mass transit system.

The buses were clean both inside and outside. The seats might look hard but they were decent enough and commuters could expect a ride in one without the aggravation associated with commuting in amolueordanfo. Middle class workers- bankers, teachers, civil servants etc, could be seen in their ties and jackets in these buses.

There were neither itinerant preachers nor food or drug vendors to bother passengers. The buses were not littered with waste or remains of stale foods and snacks nor were 49-sitting and 99-standing people, ‘shuffering-and-smiling’ Fela-style, crammed together like sardines in the buses.

The drivers and conductors were courteous and went about their duty with dignity. Indeed some of the buses were air-conditioned and you could expect a decent ride in relative comfort.

This is a far cry from the dingy BRT buses one sees in Lagos today. The buses look very dirty both inside and outside. The internal walls look grimy and coated in dark colours that are in fact accumulated dirt that has caked over time.

With the constant battles reported between passengers and conductors and/or drivers of the buses and other road users, there is no doubt thatarea boys, even if only in attitude and mentality, had eased off the touted OND/HND and degree holders that were initially recruited to drive and conduct the buses. The buses are extremely dirty from the outside with many of them parading torn and jagged panels that are a clear danger to the clothes and bodies of passengers and other commuters

Sincere 9gerian: The Lagos BRT transport system is decaying. So says the same Vanguard