THE Lagos State government has received commendation for signing a deal with Talgo, a US-based Spanish company, for the acquisition of two intra-city trains originally intended to connect Madison and Milwaukee in the United States, but which was later abandoned.

This is part of ongoing efforts by the administration to set up an intermodel transportation system that will ensure interconnectivity in different parts of the state, while reducing gridlock and creating jobs.

Governor of Lagos State Babajide Sanwo-Olu said during the ceremony in Wisconsin on Tuesday that he was ‘irrevocably’ committed to completing the Red Line Metro Rail Project by the end of this year and bring a new lease of life to public transportation in Lagos.

“We have completed the acquisition of the trains and ramping up the completion of the ancillary infrastructure like the train stations. We hope that this will be the beginning of a mutually beneficial business relationship,” the governor stated.

Chief Executive Officer and President of Talgo Antonio Perez said: “For us, it is important that our trains are utilised. It doesn’t make any good that the trains that we built should be kept without passengers riding them.”

Abandoned for 11 years

The intra-city 10-coach metropolitan trains, newly acquired by Lagos State for its Red Line Metro Project, was manufactured in 2011 to run on Amtrak’s Hiawatha line between Milwaukee and Chicago, but the trains were never put into use after Wisconsin officials declined to build a maintenance facility to put them in operation.

In 2010, the newly elected Republican Governor of Wisconsin Scott Walker revoked the $47.5 million rail project deal which his predecessor Jim Doyle signed with Talgo in 2009. Notwithstanding, Talgo continued working on building the train sets purchased by the state at a facility in Milwaukee throughout 2011.

Talgo, thereafter in January 2012, notified the state that the train sets were ready for delivery, but the Wisconsin Department of Transportation refused to accept them and 10 months later, Talgo canceled its purchase contract with the state and instituted a lawsuit against Wisconsin.

The claim alleges the state failed to live up to its purchase agreement and that Walker repeatedly acted in bad faith to frustrate the deal.

Talgo added its claim to include: insurance expenses, labour expenses, attorneys’ fees, transportation costs, and “loss of reputation associated with the state’s personnel continually defaming Talgo’s professional reputation in every conceivable forum.”

However, before instituting the lawsuit in 2012, Wisconsin taxpayers had spent $42 million on the rail project. A settlement was eventually reached in August 2015 where Wisconsin agreed to pay $9.7 million to Talgo and allow the manufacturer keep the trains.

Talgo, on its part, was required to refund 30 per cent of the net proceeds if the trains were sold within three years.

The difficulties with finding a buyer

Finding a buyer for the trainsets took another six years after both parties reached a settlement, costing the manufacturer huge amount in maintenance.

READ MORE HERE: https://www.icirnigeria.org/how-sanwo-olu-purchased-trains-abandoned-by-us-state/

Ọmọ see casting
Who do us like this for Nigeria?

Better than newly made Chinese trains

Trains , Planes and ship last long on sales yard before being sold

Clap for yourself

Seems were cursed to be using things like this, who do us ?

Abandoned which they purchased at reasonable price.

Even quarter is better than nothing

techmo:
Better than newly made Chinese trains

Trains , Planes and ship last long on sales yard before being sold

Trains and ships are built on order , they don't just shelf them waiting for a buyer , this is only available because the original owners didnt make use if it

SarkinYarki:


Trains and ships are built on order , they don't just shelf them waiting for a buyer , this is only available because the original owners didnt make use if it

Yes new ones are pre ordered but used or preowned are available on sale at sales yard for years without buyers

The Nigerian media is so crude, so crass and pedestrian, they uneducated instead of educating, they mislead instead of peddling knowledge.

Abandoned means left without needed protection, care, or support, but the trains in question are unused, they stored them and they received maintenance from Talgo every few months to keep them ready for operation.

So, if abandoned means lack of protection, care and support, but the train received proper care and maintenance every few months to make sure that they remain new and ready for operation at any given time.

Miseducation of the Nigerian youth and population is a disservice ...

techmo:
Better than newly made Chinese trains

Trains , Planes and ship last long on sales yard before being sold

mak we try diz one na Chinese new train dey comot fire the oda day...

I don't even know aw this one take be News weda na Vintage e go buy or new model so far the train can perform beyond the one we have before at least that's enough.....

old ones will even be easier for us to maintain ...

Moferere:
Ọmọ see casting
Who do us like this for Nigeria?

I doubt you know why the Trains were not use for there main purpose.

NGpatriot:
The Nigerian media is so crude, so crass and pedestrian, they uneducated instead of educating, they mislead instead of peddling knowledge.

Abandoned means left without needed protection, care, or support, but the trains in question are unused, they stored them and they received maintenance from Talgo every few months to keep them ready for operation.

So, if abandoned means lack of protection, care and support, but the train received proper care and maintenance every few months to make sure that they remain new and ready for operation at any given time.

Miseducation of the Nigerian youth and population is a disservice ...

God Bless You, lọpọlọpọ. Just wondering how gullible some people could be, no fact checking, no reasoning.

DubaiLandLord2:
I doubt you know why the Trains were not use for there main purpose.

They are headline readers.

I'm glad they did not go for any Chinese trains, these are built in America according to American stringent quality and safety standard.

More.

I can't stop crying for this stupid OP

You will be shocked at the price Sanwo-olu bought them for... Corruption will kill us one day

Moferere:
Ọmọ see casting
Who do us like this for Nigeria?

Your madness is inherited. Those are new Trains never been used, base on the circumstances of the sale, its cheaper for Lagos than ordering a freshly built coaches .

That’s all y’all do, shame and wail. No matter what, it’ll be better than the death knells on rails Lagos uses currently.

You guys just search the net looking for ways to exhibit your foolishness under the guise of exposing the government. Rubbish

Moferere:
Ọmọ see casting
Who do us like this for Nigeria?

Casting how? They weren’t in use and can possibly pass for new new trains

FACT.


These are the first High speed Trains in Sub Africa with a top speed of 330kmph.

This is the kind of projects that are usually in the primary domain of sovereign nations, not a state.

This project is a major and heavy lift for Lagos state and they are about to pull it off.

High speed train in a corridor like marina Make break no go fail o

Citizens of this country hate this country and that's why this country find it difficult to prosper.


You can't tell me one good reason this journalist wrote this piece. I can't see the point at all.

A country with such a low purchasing power saw a deal on a train and bought it which a city like Lagos is in dire need for but someone wants to rubbish the efforts and trust me, some people will want to rejoice because they hate the idea of a good thing happening to the land they live in.

The people who will complain about this train are wearing fake designer clothes and shoes, fairly used phones with web of cracks is the device they will complain with and are not sure where the next meal will come from.

Tufiakwa!!! Chukwu ekwela