http://punchng.com/right-of-way-recovery-relocation-of-services-delay-lagos-light-rail-project/

The Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority said on Tuesday that Right of Way recovery and the relocation of services were responsible for the slow pace of work on the Light Rail Project on the ongoing Lagos-Badagry Expressway project.

The LAMATA’s Head of Media and Communications, Mr Kolawole Ojelabi, said in Lagos that the project was stopped for almost three years because of various problems of obstruction on the RoW.

“We have given different completion dates for the project but one of the challenges that we had was that the train was originally to go to the Iddo Railway Terminus but the Railway Act did not allow us to do such.

“Since we could not take the train station to Iddo, we had to change the alignment, and in changing that, there were a lot of obstructions on the way.

[img]http://dilemmaxdotnet.files./2014/07/lagos-light-rail-2.jpg[/img]


“For instance, there is a fertiliser plant around Ijora belonging to the Federal Government; we had to negotiate to use their compound so that we could take away their warehouse. We had to build another warehouse for them.

“Around Ijora too, there was a mosque that we had to demolish and build another one.

“Then moving into the lagoon, there were two major challenges: there was the relocation of gas link, a gas pipe underneath the lagoon, which also took some time.



“We also discovered that there was the wreckage of a ship that was at the bottom of the lagoon, that also had to be removed. These delayed the time line for the delivery of the project.

“From the initial plan of the Lagos State Government, this train ought to have been delivered in 2012 or 2013,’’ he said.

Ojelabi explained that LAMATA lost about three years to the recovery of RoW, adding that the state government had to bear the additional costs, which were not in the initial budget.

This, according to him was to ensure that the structures were solid because rail infrastructure is expected to last a minimum of 100 years.

He said that the blue rail line project was a 27-kilometre project which runs from Okokomaiko to the Marina and is expected to have 13 train stations and the trains are targeted to lift a minimum of 400,000 passengers daily when completed.

Ojelabi explained that the project was divided into three phases, with each phase further divided into three segments.

“The first phase of the project is 95 per cent completed, that is from Mile 2 to the National Theatre.

[img]http://www.thenational.ae/image/policy:1.474601:1499664399/image/jpeg.jpg?$p=79ddad7&w=1136&$w=ec52ab9[/img]

“The second phase which is from National Theatre to Marina is about 45 per cent completed and massive work is going on there now.

“By the time all the piers are built, particularly those in the lagoon, that is, the superstructure, the project would no longer take time to complete,’’ he said.



Ojelabi said that the scope of work done in phase one included the station buildings and rail tracks, adding that, installation of electricity and communication gadgets were being expected, to make the section functional.

He explained that there were supposed be a total of 13 train stations out of which four have been completed and two others are under construction.

Ojelabi said that there was a design in the project for the National Theatre to be a major terminus under the Bus Reform Programme of the government where vehicles would take passengers disembarking from the train to various parts of the state.

He commended late Mrs Oluremi Oyo for the role she played in speeding up the completion of the train station at the National Theatre in Iganmu, some years back.

The media head explained that Oyo gave up a portion of land that led to the shifting of the fence of NAN to allow construction of a major pier.

“I need to commend the late MD of NAN, Mrs Oluremi Oyo, because when we were going to build the piers in NAN, she was very supportive and if not because of her support, we would probably not have been able to achieve that, so I need to really commend her, even in death,’’ he said.

He said that more than 13 bus stations were being constructed alongside the expansion of the Lagos-Badagry Expressway, as well as the Bus Rapid Transit lane on the highway.

“The whole idea is to make Lagos a 24-hour economy,’’ he said.

The Lagos/Badagry Expressway is the local name for the Nigerian section of the Trans West African Coastal Highway. The expressway is to connect Lagos, Nigeria with Dakar, Senegal.

Extensive reconstruction of the Lagos portion of the expressway began in 2009. When those renovations are completed, the Lagos portion of the expressway will be widened from four lanes to ten lanes for road vehicles and a new mass transit line will operate in the median.

Two of the expressway’s lanes are intended to be exclusively used by the Lagos Bus Rapid Transit System.

Lagos State Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode announced recently that the entire project would now be completed in 2019.

(NAN)

Mynd44, Lalasticlala

Then Get it

Ambode no start weare ooo, i don over like this govt already

Lagos state have been constructing this light rail for many years now, and still yet to complete it, maybe the project will be commission in 2054.

Eko oni baje.

Story for the gods. Take it outside please.!

Ambode is too clean to be in APC, APC is a party of liars

Lagos is too developed to be part of the zoo... Please give them autonomy...

I love progress....

The rate at which ccecc is working in the roads is very fast, but they are too slow in terms of bridges, the alakija (festac 3rd gate) bridge is giving them serious headache and they are too slow about it.

Honestly these China guys are doing a great job in Lagos as long as this road is concerned.

CCECC should us that Julius Berger is a learner in civil engineering, a shock that I am yet to be relieved from.

Julius Berger has reconstructed the road from mile2 to orile 3 good times and the road is yet to be commissioned, so what happens after commissioning.

That useless hill was only removed by JB after that container fell and killed that girl at estate gate. Someone doesn't need to die first before we do the right things.

Btw ojo cantonment no try at all, everybody giving way except them. This will make the road narrow at that stretch thereby creating a bottle neck.

Military no dey think at alll

k

Ok the new completion date is 2019. We're waiting.

Other states should also start their own light rail projects.

To every other states waiting for Buhari to come help develop your states and living room for you... check my signature.

A project that was to be delivered 5 years ago. Fashola gave excuses till he left office. 2 years + into Ambode's government more excuses are coming in after all the hundreds of millions of dollars if not billions spent. This will end up as one of the most expensive rail project of its kind per km in the world

Very unfortunate delay. But the project is still on track. The important thing is that it's not an abandoned project and will definitely be delivered in due time.

Am still waiting to see it

Am still waiting to see it commence

Na wa o.

Credible update.



It shows proper planning wasn't done and we will expert more loopholes as time goes by; exactly the same way our eyes are opening on the scam named "Lekki epe" Expressway - ill construction , shoddy job etc.

it was really been an enrichment venture for a certain Plc

Horrible Government of the People

The project manager should be sacked!! Did the buildings or obstruction grow overnight?? Totally incompetent!!!

Any Nairalander in the construction sector should please link me up... Thanks

All these issues being mentioned are thing that should have been considered and surveyed in the original concept/design stages. All these Chinese projects sef...

dannytoe:
Lagos state have been constructing this light rail for many years now, and still yet to complete it, maybe the project will be commission in 2054.

Do you people ever get to read article or u are finding it difficult to comprehend simple sentence?

cool, it baffled me how people are quick to criticize. Am sure those people up there didn't even read the reasons..but cos of hate and down syndrome, they just assume the default criticism mode. We still have a long way to go in this country

The cumbersome myriads obstructions on the right of way have been bedevilling the smooth take off of the project,

They initially proved insurmountable, but seems hope is restored,
They are currently at the site where a bridge is meant to link marina and the mainland,

I guess it was at this instant juncture, they approached the remnants of wreckage, underwater gas pipeline line,

These shots were taken couple of months back, they must have cleared the debris, relocated the pipes, and currently working on the prebasement/carriage superstructure, piling etc, before casting begins,

The works show there is commitment to meet this new deadline.