More pics of Road and Light Rail construction provided by paddylo at skyscrapercity.com

This project is HUGE!!!

Chei, Lagos go change after this one o.

More construction pics provided by paddylo

Thanks Mariory/paddylo

is it (rail) still going to be delivered in 2011 seeing as there are excuses already some weeks back in the media

Light Rail Construction. Not sure if this is the Badagry expansion but, it has CCECC workers so I assumed this is the Baagry area.

Courtesy of skyscrapercity.com

Lagos light rail will be operational by 2012 – Fashola
By Mudiaga Affe
Tuesday, 30 Nov 2010

The Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, on Sunday said the first seven- kilometres Blue Line light rail project running from Okokomaiko to Marina would be ready for use in 2012.

Fashola stated this in Lagos after a working tour of the project site at Iganmu in Apapa Local Government Area of the state. The governor said the project had moved from being a vision to a dream and finally a reality.

Fashola said with the concrete piers already going up at Iganmu and other infrastructure being put in place by China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, the company handling the project, there was hope that the conclusion would be reached quickly.

He said that by 2012, the first seven kilometres of rail would be ready for operation.

Fashola said the concrete pillars being set up at Iganmu would hold the rail bed that would link the rail line to Iddo on its way to Okokomaiko, adding that with the completion of the first seven kilometres of the rail line, five stations would also have been completed.

According to the governor, at least 2, 000 Nigerians have already been employed and by next year another 1, 000 will also be employed.

Fashola said by the time the project commences fully, no fewer than 8,000 people would be employed by the company handling the project.

“This is going to be the best project this State has ever had. You can only imagine the number of people that will be employed, both directly and indirectly, when the project is finished. It will reduce travel time and all the stress associated with traffic will be removed. Lagosians will travel in comfort,” he said.

Fashola noted that the Blue Line now under construction would form the corridor for the remaining six rail lines going to Agege, Alimosho, Ikorodu and other parts of the state, adding, “This is the most important of the seven rail lines that we plan to construct.”

While conducting Fashola round the project earlier, the Deputy Managing Director of CCECC and Project Manager, Mr. Shi Hongbing, said the pre-castings for the rail bridge had reached 70 per cent completion.

He gave the assurance that before 2012, the company would complete the rail from Mile 2 to the National Theatre.


Source:http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201011300103768

Press Release

Lagos Rail Project: "We Have Moved From Dream To Reality", Says Fashola

Nov 28, 2010 - Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN), Sunday expressed joy at the pace of work at the Blue Line of the State's Light Rail Project to run from Okokomaiko to Marina saying the project has moved from being a vision to a dream and finally to reality.

Fielding questions from journalists after a working tour of the project site at Iganmu in the Apapa Local Government Area of the State, Governor Fashola said with the concrete piers already going up at Iganmu and other infrastructure being put in place by China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), the company handling the project, there is every hope that the conclusion would be reached quickly.

The vision for the Lagos State Light Rail project was originally conceived by the administration of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu which had planned to build the Red Line Project to run from Agbado in Alimosho Local Government Area to Iddo in Ebute Metta and to ultimately terminate in Marina.

Governor Fashola, who was earlier conducted round the Iganmu Work Yard of the CCECC which will ultimately transform into the National Arts Theatre Station of the Light Rail, by the Managing Director of the Lagos Metropolitan Transport Authority (LAMATA), Dr. Dayo Mobereola, said the concrete pillars being set up at Iganmu would hold the rail bed that will link the rail line to Iddo on its way to Okokomaiko adding that with the completion of the first seven kilometres of the rail line, five stations would also have been completed adding that according to the terms of the contract, the concessionaires would be supplying the coaches for full operation.

The Governor declared, "We have moved from vision to dreams and to reality. The project has taken off; the baby has been born, it is left for us to nurture it to adulthood", Governor Fashola said adding that by 2012, the first seven kilometres of rail would be ready for operation.

"There is still work to do but the important thing is that without fanfare, without celebration, the project has taken off", Governor Fashola said adding that it is going to be the most significant project in the State.

According to the Governor, at least 2, 000 Nigerians have already been employed and by next year another 1, 000 will also be employed adding that by the time the project is in full gear, no less than 8,000 people would be employed by the company handling the project.

"This is going to be the most impactful project this State has ever had. You can only imagine the number of people that will be employed, both directly and indirectly, when the project is finished. It will reduce travel time and all the stress associated with traffic will be removed. Lagosians will travel in comfort", the Governor said.

Governor Fashola noted that the Blue Line now under construction would form the corridor for the remaining six rail lines going to Agege, Alimosho, Ikorodu and other parts of the State adding, "This is the most important of the seven rail lines that we plan to construct".

On the supply of electricity which is essential for the efficient operation of the rail system, Governor Fashola declared, "This project has been designed to supply its own electricity. We spent two and half years planning this project. We sought and found the best team, those who have done it successfully in other places of the world. Life is about planning and efficient management. We planned for the worst and we are hoping for the best".

Earlier, while conducting Governor Fashola round the project, the Deputy Managing Director of CCECC and Project Manager, Mr. Shi Hongbing, said the pre-castings for the rail bridge have reached 70 percent completion assuring that before 2012 the company would complete the rail from Mile 2 to the National Theatre".

Also present at the CCECC project site were the Chinese Consul General in Lagos, Mr. Guo Kun, the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Mr. Lanre Babalola, the Director General Public Private Partnership (PPP) Office, Mr. Ayo Gbeleyi, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Works and Infrastructure, Engineer Ganiyu Johnson, the Managing Director of LAMATA, Dr. Dayo Mobereola who led a team of other senior LAMATA officials, officials of CCECC and other top Government functionaries.

Governor Fashola later visited Adeniran Ogunsanya Street in Surulere where he inspected the progress of work on the road which is at present undergoing reconstruction.



Source: http://www.tundefashola.com/archives/news/2010/11/28/20101128N01.html


Video of the visit (PAY SPECIAL ATTENTION TO THE INTERVIEW WIH THE GOVERNOR AT THE END OF THE VISIT): http://www.tundefashola.com/archives/videos/2010/11/28/20101128V01.wmv

More construction pics.

Courtesy skyscrapercity.com

Video update

http://www.tundefashola.com/archives/videos/2010/11/28/20101128V01.wmv

Motorists groan, businesses suffer as Apapa-Oshodi Expressway turns nightmare .
Monday, 28 March 2011 00:00 Chuka Uroko

Chuka Uroko writes that the nation's economy is imperilled as unusual traffic gridlock on the majorgateway to main sea ports-the Apapa and Tincan Island has paralysed activities at the ports and tank farms

For motorists and commuters on the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway in Lagos, the experience of the past five to six days is much more than a nightmare. It has been eight long days of physical stress and mental torture occasioned by a traffic gridlock that tasks the strength and expertise of drivers and also challenges human capacity for suffering.

As the major gateway to Nigeria's main sea ports-the Apapa and Tincan Island Ports which are revenue spinners for the country, the impact of the gridlock, which has literally paralysed activities at the ports, is better imagined than expressed. Businesses are suffering while the economy as a whole is bleeding.

Petroleum tankers' reckless and mindless parking on the expressway coupled with the on-going reconstruction work on the Lagos-Badagry Expressway have been identified as the major causes of the gridlock which heath analysts say is capable of further reducing the life expectancy of the road users.

Tankers waiting for their turn to lift fuel from the tank farms and other trucks going into the ports to carry imported goods have taken over the entire service lane and almost half of the expressway, leaving just a narrow pathway for other road users.

Again, Julius Berger, the contractor handling the reconstruction of the Lagos-Badagry Expressway has narrowed the four-lane expressway under the Mile Two bridge to a single lane, thereby forcing thousands of vehicles and motorbikes operators to engage in a struggle for passage through the narrow path.

The scenario is quite frustrating because while motorists descending from the Mile Two bridge to connect Lagos-Badagry expressway from the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway are held up for hours on the bridge, those approaching Mile Two from the Badagry axis are also trapped in a traffic jam that sometimes stretched to Festac First Gate Bus-Stop. Similarly, motorists approaching Mile Two from the Orile-Iganmu axis are also trapped in the gridlock which, at peak hours, usually stretches to Suru-Alaba.

So far, it has been worse for Mile Two bound motorists from Oshodi who run into traffic jam that usually starts building up from about 12.30am all the way to Ijesha Bus- Stop, while it has also become a daily routine for the gridlock to stretch from Berger- Under-Bridge to Sanya Bus-Stop, thereby delaying movement for Oshodi bound motorists.

In all these, those who should do something seem not to be bothered by what has become a daily and harrowing experience for people who are out for legitimate business from where they eke out a living and pay their tax which sustains the flamboyant lifestyle of those that are supposed to assuage their pains in matters such as this.

Analysts believe that both the Federal and Lagos State governments should be blamed for these harrowing experiences of both motorists and commuters on this expressway. Because ours is a society where people can do anything and get away with it, Julius Berger could do what it did at Mile Two without making sure that there was an alternative route that could reduce the volume of traffic on the single lane it has created for motorists.

For approving the construction of tank farms at the ports and along the expressway for which a thousand and one tankers are daily lined up on the expressway, the Federal Government should be crucified, more so when as an oil producing country we do not have need of tank farms in the first place. The comatose refineries should be resuscitated and more new ones built.

The abandonment of the Amuwo Odofin-Festac Road reconstruction by the Lagos State government since October last year is an action that no government official has offered any explanation for. If that road had been completed, it would have been quite helpful because Badagry bound motorists wouldn't have had any business going to Mile Two. Because of these failures of leadership, people are dying gradually from stress on the road, businesses are suffering and the economy is bleeding.

A motorist, Kazeem Kabiru who spoke to Business Day, lamented being trapped for about four hours between Sanya and Mile Two last Tuesday, a distance of about two kilometres, blaming the unfortunate development partly on reckless parking by petroleum tankers going to Apapa for loading of products from the various depots in the area. "It is so sad that here we operate as if everybody is a law unto himself.

What good reason can anybody give for allowing tankers to take over the expressway thereby subjecting other road users to the kind of hardship we are currently experiencing on this road now? This happens daily, and nobody seems to be bothered that people are suffering, fuel is wasted and productive hours are lost as a result. Today, I have been here for close to fours," he lamented.

Commuters on the road, especially those that work at the ports and other offices in and around Apapa, also have their own tales of woe. Glory Eshet who works with NPA told our correspondent that on Tuesday she had to trek from Berger-Under-Bridge to Tincan Second Gate from where she took a bike to her office.

In an apparent show of concern however, Tokunbo Korodo, Lagos zonal chairman of National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, (NUPENG), the umbrella body of Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) association, regretted the inconveniences to the motoring public as a result of his members' tankers on the road.

Korodo who spoke to our correspondent in a telephone interview, however blamed the situation on tank farm operators who he accused of failing to provide adequate parking space within their premises.

"The truth is that our members are rendering essential services to the entire nation. They travel far distances to load in Lagos and distribute nationwide. They cannot lift the trucks on their heads to jetties. So I blame this on the failed system and jetty operators who are not providing parking lot for the tankers," he said.

In the same vein, Lagos State government has exonerated itself from the situation on the expressway. In a statement signed by Hakeem Bello, senior special assistant to Governor Babatunde Fashola on media, the state government said the road belonged to the Federal Government which should take responsibility for its repairs.

There's really the need for urgent action by the Federal Government to not only spare motorists the pain and anguish that have become their daily menu on the road, but also to save businesses on this axis, and also make port operations less stressful for optimum revenue generation for the country.

In the interim, it is expected that the tanker park being constructed opposite Tincan Ports has to be given accelerated attention.
The bridge, Business Day learnt, will specifically serve tankers and trailers that will be finding their way into the park to wait for their consignment from either of the sea ports-Apapa or Tincan Island.

An official of Trevi Nigeria Limited, the company handling the piling work for the construction of the bridge, told our correspondent at the site that the bridge which would take its root off Marine Road would empty into the park. "Our business here is to do the piling work for the bridge; we started around October last year and in the next three to four months, we shall have left this place for the contractor to continue from there" , he said, adding: "The bridge is meant to serve the park and will end into the park. All trucks coming into the park will have to turn from there ( Liverpool roundabout)".

When our correspondent visited the construction site, workers of Borini Prono, the construction company handling the construction of the park, were busy with preliminary engineering work just as clearing, levelling and grading work were also on-going on the park which might stretch up to Coconut area.

"If houses have to give way for what government considers good for all of us, why not?" queried an official of the company who did not want to be named. "But who are the government? Is it not you and I? We are all concerned about the stress people go through on this road on daily basis. So, government is just showing it's concern", he added.

http://www.businessdayonline.com/NG/index.php/analysis/features/19570-motorists-groan-businesses-suffer-as-apapa-oshodi-expressway-turns-nightmare-

The agony of the Lagos commuters continues. Hopefully all these construction will be completed on schedule.

Hard times for residents, motorists as Fashola’s contractor abandons Amuwo-Festac Link Road .

Monday, 28 March 2011 00:00 Joshua Bassey

For sometime now, motorists plying the Amuwo-Festac Access Link Road in Lagos have been subjected to hardship of no mean proportion following abandonment of the road’s reconstruction work by the Lagos State government and the contractor to which the project was awarded. Equally not spared from the ordeal are residents and businesses operating within this semi-urban settlement, which plays host to thousands of middle-income earners, whose votes Governor Babatunde Fashola would need in the April 2011 elections, and who are now calling on the governor to ensure work resumes on the abandoned road in order to ease their transportation difficulties.

The strategic road provides direct and indirect access to numerous residential and industrial estates in the area, such as Festac Town, Jakande Estate, Mile 2 Estate, Durbar Estate as well as Amuwo Residential and Industrial Estates. It also takes traffic off Apapa-Oshodi and Lagos-Badagry express roads, as motorists approaching Mile 2 to connect Oshodi or Apapa do not need to rigmarole.

Work on the road project, being handled by China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), was abandoned in September 2010. The abandonment, according to a representative of the contractor who spoke with CityFile last year, was blamed on funding related hitches, and tied around the slashing of the 2010 appropriation by over N40 billion, by the State House of Assembly, which pegged it at N389.5 billion from N429.596 billion presented by the governor.

Hope that the contractor would return to site had risen following the approval of a supplementary budget of about N46 billion tendered by the governor to the House in October 2010.

Ganiyu Johnson, special adviser to the state government on works and infrastructure, had subsequently told CityFile that work would resume on the road in November last year and would be completed and delivered by December 2010. Johnson argued that the contractor was within the scheduled completion time, which according him, was December 2010.

He said this when reacting to series of complaints from the residents and businesses in the area, who queried the slow execution of the project awarded since 2008.

Unfortunately, however, the hope raised by the special adviser regarding the December completion date was never realised, as the contractor had not mobilised back to site. With this failed promise, motorists have continued to face rough time on the road, as they struggle for space on the completed side of the dualised road.

As expected, traffic situation on the road has worsened, leading to motorists spending hours between Amuwo Bridge and Apple Junction, a distance less than 900 metres, during a chaotic day.

Residents and businesses have expressed disappointment at the delay in completing the project, citing health hazards from dust taking over their homes and business premises. It would be recalled that residences and business premises suffered similar fate the last three years, as dust took over the entire area, forcing them to shut their doors permanently, with consequential health implications.

With the approaching rainy season, residents fear that the condition of the road would get worse unless the government urgently intervenes.

Sade Olamilekan, an assistant manager with a telecom service firm along the road, recalling the experience of last two years, said “I had thought based on the assurances from the special adviser that before the next harmattan season, the work would be completed.”

Her view was shared by Richard Adaba, an employee of a fast-food joint near Apple Junction, who observed that the road project compared with those in other parts of the metropolis was suffering undue delay.

Statistics obtained from the state ministry of works and infrastructure showing progress of work put scarification work at 75 percent completion, drainage 70 percent, paving stone 50 percent, walkway 50 percent, streetlight 0 percent and service ducts 70 percent, but silent on when work would resume again or completed.


http://www.businessdayonline.com/NG/index.php/city-file/city-file/19585-hard-times-for-residents-motorists-as-fasholas-contractor-abandons-amuwo-festac-link-road

Work has really reached an advanced stage on this road project. Intense work has gotten to mile 2 hereby causing traffic spreading back beyond festac first gate.
The bus stop at mile 2 is being worked on №ω so the bus park has moved to the road causing serious traffic. It was hell passing through there today. Its all for the best. I'll post pics soon

Thanks!

Hoping to see the pics soon.

Commuters, motorists groan under the gridlock of Lagos-Badagry road .
Friday, 13 May 2011 00:00

Commuters and motorists that ply the Mile2 - Okokomaiko axis of Badagry Expressway are lamenting the difficulty coping with traffic on the road every morning, afternoon and evening, due to the ongoing reconstruction of the highway.

Motorists spend over three hours to cover ‘the less than 20-kilometre’ distance between Mile2 and Okokomaiko on the ever-busy highway.

The construction project being undertaken by the Lagos State government was awarded to Julius Berger and China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC), and comprised of the expansion of the road to a 10-lane freeway, and the first phase of a light-rail service from Marina, Lagos, to Badagry.

According to a civil servant who plies the route daily, James Udoh said commuters experience untold hardships on the road daily, and was caused by construction activities at various points on the road.

“I would have relocated from the area if I was not the owner of the house I stay, because I leave home for work as early as 4.30a.m daily to beat the traffic so as to get to my office on Lagos Island before 8a.m,” Udoh lamented.

Odinaka Onyebuchi, a banker, also complained that driving on the Mile2 - Okokomaiko axis was always too stressful for him. He said one has to be mentally alert to manoeuvre through the traffic gridlock every day.

“It is hell trying to avoid falling into the ditch caused by the construction going on, and at the same time avoid reckless and impatient drivers from hitting your car.
“After going through these rigors on the road, I am already exhausted by the time I get to the office or return home. I no longer have the time for my family or pleasure,” Onyebuchi noted.

In addition, Abibat Omoleye, a trader, disclosed that commercial bus operators have cashed in on the traffic jam on the route to charge outrageous fares.

“Our customers are complaining that our wares are expensive, and at the same time, we cannot blame the transporters for hiking fares, since they have to make up for the time wasted in the traffic jam,” Omoleye said.

The road users thereby appealed to the contractors concerned to speed up work on the road before the imminent rainy season worsen the situation, thus bringing more hardship to both commuters and motorists.

According to Abdulhazeez Aliu, a commercial bus operator, who plies the Orile- Okokomaiko route, a lot of time is being wasted on each trip, and large quantity of fuel consumed by vehicles while in the gridlock.

“Our passengers complain our fares are high but we try to be considerate in our charges sometimes because we know that the ongoing construction work is for the benefit of everybody,” Aliu said.

He thereby appealed to the traffic managers to help in controlling the traffic, and promptly remove broken down vehicles from the road to reduce the hardship motorists go through.

At the Ijora office of Julius Berger, the official on duty said he was not competent to speak on what the construction giant could do to ameliorate the situation, as the project would not be completed until 2012.


http://www.businessdayonline.com/NG/index.php/city-file/city-file/21371-commuters-motorists-groan-under-the-gridlock-of-lagos-badagry-road

16 senators spend millions of naira to inspect Oshodi – Apapa Expressway .

Tuesday, 26 July 2011 00:00 Joshua Bassey . .•Shocked by poor state of road

One week after a federal government delegation made a visit to assess the impact of the July 10, 2011 flood disaster in Lagos, a 16-man Senate delegation, also yesterday, landed in Lagos, at an estimated N4 million cost to tax payers.

The 16-man senate delegation’s air fare is put at over N1.3 million and hotel accommodation not less than N800, 000 per day, for a visit most analysts and critics dismiss as sheer waste of resources.

Nigerians reacting, describe the visit as one too many by Abuja, without definite action to relieve victims of the flood and put paid to the suffering of motorists and commuters on deadly federal roads in the former federal capital territory. They also question what has been done with the N9.2 billion which the former minister of Works, Mohammed Dagash, was quoted to have said has been released to carry out routine maintenance works on the Apapa-Oshodi road.

Dagash had in May this year told reporters that the contract for the road was awarded to construction giant, Julius Berger Plc in November 2010 at a cost of N6.2 billion.

The road which has been described as one of the biggest ‘shame’ of the nation, is barely passable when it trains and has cost port users at the nation’s biggest sea ports, Apapa and Tin Can Island ports several billions of naira.

The Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) in the last two years says it has spent over N500 million to engage road repair contractors to fill up the gullies that frequently appear on the road. The failure of the road, shortly after repairs, raised frequent insinuations of fraud and deception on the award of the contract, the quality of the work and capacity of the contractors. Interestingly, both the Federal Ministry of Works and the Federal Government never responded proactively.

Analysts say the shoddy job done by the contractors underlies the shady process that led to the award of the contracts.

Speaking in an interview with BusinessDay, yesterday, Joe Igbokwe, publicity secretary, Lagos State chapter of Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), said, “What Nigerians expect is concrete action that will bring an end to their agonising experience on most federal roads in Lagos and other parts of the country.

“Hundreds of visits without action amounts to nothing. Nigerians are suffering; Lagosians are going through harrowing experience on federal roads in Lagos. Any positive action taken in respect of Lagos is in the interest of the nation. Lagos is the melting pot of Nigeria’s economy. The Apapa-Oshodi Expressway for example leads to the biggest and most patronised ports in Nigeria with quantum contributions to the nation’s economy. Therefore, help extended to Lagos is help extended to the entire country,” Igbokwe said.

Itse Sagay, a law professor, who also spoke with BusinessDay, lamented what he described as the neglect of federal roads across the country. He stated as a matter of finality that the “Federal Government has failed in its responsibilities, especially in terms of road maintenance.”

Meanwhile, shocked by the level of deterioration of some of the areas visited, particularly the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway, the visiting senate delegation assured that the Senate will put pressure on the Federal Government to release funds to tackle ecological problems in the former capital city.

The delegation led by former governor of Benue State, George Akume, was in Lagos to have a first-hand assessment of the environmental challenges faced by the state, and which in recent times, have been made worse by torrential rains and devastating floods.

“I can assure you that this delegation is non partisan. We are going to make our impartial reports based on what we have seen. We will put pressure on the Federal Government to do something urgently because what we have seen here is a threat to lives and properties in Lagos,” Akume told reporters, adding that Lagos deserves special attention from the Federal Government.

The senators, after inspecting the failed Iyana Itire and Second Rainbow sections of the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway, could, however, not proceed further to Trinity Bus Stop which has completely collapsed, as petroleum tankers lined the entire stretch of the road, with resultant traffic jams, which forced the delegation to beat a retreat at Berger.

The senators wondered aloud if it was the same road that leads to both Apapa and Tin Can Island Ports from where the Federal Government rakes in billions of naira annually.

This query was greeted by a spontaneous chorus of ‘yes’ response by Oluremi Tinubu, Gbenga Ashafa and Ganiyu Solomon, the three senators representing Lagos in the Senate, who were part of the delegation.

Akume, speaking further, said the delegation in its report to the Senate leadership, would emphasise the need to accord Lagos a special status.

http://www.businessdayonline.com/NG/index.php/news/76-hot-topic/25131-16-senators-spend-millions-of-naira-to-inspect-oshodi--apapa-expressway

is apapa/oshodi near badagry?

The Apapa-Oshodi expressway leads to Badagry.

badagry is the new rush to city in Lagos!!!!! Far from lots of troubles other parts of Lagos bring, cool, calm and very natural landscape!!!

The light rail will probably give more value to the properties in Badagry,

What impact will this have on the Lagos-Badagry Light rail project seeing that the construction is being handled by a chinese company?
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China recalls bullet trains in new blow to technology showcase

By Fayen Wong and Chris Buckley | Reuters – 2 hrs 22 mins ago,

SHANGHAI/BEIJING (Reuters) - China's second-biggest train maker will recall 54 bullet trains used on the new showcase Beijing-Shanghai line for safety reasons, the firm said on Friday, dealing a fresh blow to the nation's scandal-plagued rail system.

The recall of the trains by China CNR Corp Ltd comes three weeks after 40 people were killed in a high-speed rail crash, which triggered public fury, unusually bold media coverage and a freeze on approvals for new railway projects.

China's high-speed rail drive was until recently held up by senior government officials as a trophy of the nation's technological prowess. Now it has become a political albatross, drawing scorn from many citizens already frustrated with the hulking railways ministry.

China's fast-growing microblog websites have served to amplify that public anger, and the recall drew more catcalls on Sina's popular Weibo site (http://weibo.com).

"Wasn't this locomotive the most advanced type, and put into use only after many tests? So how come the problems were discovered after they were put into operation? What a miracle," wrote one Weibo user.

"Can we also recall the Ministry of Railways?," asked another.

Officials blamed July's crash first on a lightning strike and then on faulty signals technology. But on Friday, Chinese media quoted a senior investigator as saying the crash also exposed management failings and could have been avoided.

"There were serious flaws in the system design that led to an equipment failure," said Luo Lin, the minister of China's State Administration of Work Safety, who is leading the probe.

"At the same time, this exposed problems in emergency response and safety management after the failure occurred," the Beijing Times cited Luo as saying.

"This was a major accident involving culpability that could have been totally avoided," he said.

Industry analyst Lu Zhou said the recalls added to signs that China's high-speed railway boom faced bleak times.

"The government is putting a sudden brake on China's high-speed railway story, and we must wait for the bad days to pass over," said Lu, an analyst with Everbright Securities in Shanghai who follows China's high-speed railway train makers.

"A Great Leap Forward-style movement in China's high-speed railway is changing abruptly to a period of silence, and that could last a few years," he said.

The Great Leap Forward was Mao Zedong's disastrous effort in the late 1950s to catapult China into communist prosperity.

But China could not afford to curtail train investment in the longer-term, said Luo.

"After all, China's railway system can't go back to the old days of shabby green cars," he said.

RECALL COULD HIT STEEL, CEMENT DEMAND

The recall and a recent decision to slow down bullet trains nonetheless reflected a rethink by government leaders jolted into considering the risks of high-speed rail growth, said Zhao Jian, an expert on rail at Beijing Jiaotong University who has long criticized the bullet train expansion.

China has been working for years to develop a high-speed rail network to rival Japan's famed bullet trains, and last year investment on the sector hit a record high of 749.5 billion yuan ($117.2 billion).

By contrast, however, Japanese bullet trains have not had any accidents involving injuries or deaths since they started running in 1964, according to a Transport Ministry official in Tokyo.

An alarm system on the Japanese bullet automatically applies the brakes if two trains come too close each other, and braking was triggered by an earthquake detection system when the country was hit by a massive quake and tsunami in March.

Even before last month's crash and resulting furor, China's railways sector was under a cloud. The railways minister, Liu Zhijun, a key figure behind the investment boom in the sector, was dismissed in February over corruption charges that have not yet been tried in court.

As well as the embarrassment for the ruling Communist Party, the slowdown in high-speed rail construction could bite into demand for steel, said UOB Kay Hian commodities analyst Helen Lau.

It was unclear how drastically CNR's recall will disrupt services on the flagship Beijing-Shanghai route. Even before CNR announced its step, the railways ministry said it would cut the number of high-speed trains running on the route by a quarter, the official Xinhua news agency said on Friday.

Passengers waiting to board bullet trains from Beijing to Shanghai said they were not worried by news of the recall.

"The risk of an accident is definitely greater on these fast trains, but flying isn't any safer," said Zhang Kelong, a building materials salesman who said he was taking the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed service for the first time.

The government is stepping up safety demands, he noted.

"So the likelihood of another accident happening is small," he said. "Let's just say I would have to be very unlucky for that to happen."

Train maker CNR did not explain what technical problems prompted its recall. But in an earlier statement, the company said it had found faults in signaling systems on the CRH380B-trains, which it blamed for delays in service.

CNR's rival, China South Locomotive, built both of the trains involved in the crash last month.

The worries over high-speed rail are likely to force central government leaders to drastically reform the Ministry of Railways, quite possibly merging it into a transport super-ministry, said Zhao, the Beijing professor.

The ministry thwarted an effort to do that a few years ago.

"Now, it's going to happen sooner or later," said Zhao, referring to the merger. "That's the whole direction of reform, and it won't change. But I don't know when it will happen."

(Additional reporting by Zhou Xin, Sally Huang, Michael Martina and Chris Buckley in Beijing; Editing by Ken Wills and John Chalmers)

,

http://news.yahoo.com/china-recalls-bullet-trains-blow-showcase-technology-040304347.html

Johnnie. God bless you. I wonder why Seun wont make someone this sincere the moderator of the property section. Keep it up bruv

@johnie

The CCECC is responsible for building (and maybe maintainance) of the rail tracks only so it should have zero impact. The company running the trains is Eko Rail. The trains themselves are being bought from Canada.

Thanks Mariory,

That's good to know.

Some construction pics for Light rail and Badagry expressway expansion project courtesy of Tbite from skyscrapercity.com








Refurbished Trains





Mile 2 Station


Alaba Station

Thanks for the wonderful picture.


Eko o ni baje lai lai

God Bless The Great State Of Lagos

Eko Rail’s trains begin journey to Lagos

September 27, 2011 06:23PM


The first of hundreds of Toronto subway cars that will furnish a new surface rail line in Lagos has left Canada. They are due shortly in Africa’s fastest growing megacity.

An indigenous company, Eko Rail, has concluded plans to purchase 255 of the Toronto Transit Commission’s (TTC) best-equipped subway cars for use in a long-anticipated Lagos Blue Line mass transit system. The TTC is in the process of purchasing larger “Rocket” trains to increase passenger capacity on their lines.

As the electric-powered cars become surplus and are pulled offline in Toronto, they will be individually trucked to the United States for rebuilding by a team of world-class rail engineers. The cars will also undergo track-width (or “gauge”) conversion and interior refurbishment before being shipped to Lagos.

The trains have been inspected by the Governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Fashola, who endorsed the plan to purchase them following his official visit to Toronto in May 2011.

“The shipment of the first car is an important step in Eko Rail’s efforts to support the Governor’s transformation agenda for the city,” said David Potter, Eko Rail’s Chief Engineer.

“Ultimately, the Blue Line, with this modernised fleet, will bring massive benefits to Lagos’ economic development and improve Lagosians’ quality of life.”

Each of the TTC cars come equipped with air-conditioning, automatic sliding doors, solid-state traction control, energy saving regenerative braking, and a wide range of modern safety features and amenities. Once equipped with a state-of-the-art, GPS-based train control system made by General Electric, Eko Rail’s trains will provide faster, safer, cheaper and more reliable transportation for Lagosians.

Eko Rail is entering into an innovative public-private partnership with the government of Lagos State to equip, operate and maintain the Blue Line for 25 years. Negotiations are being finalised and a concession agreement is expected to be signed in the near future. Lagos State has already started to make significant progress with building the rail tracks and stations. Eko Rail is utilising URS Scott Wilson, one of the world’s leading railway infrastructure consultancies, to ensure that the infrastructure is built to global standards.

With financing led by Investec Plc, financiers of more than 25 rail projects around the globe, Eko Rail expects to invest about $400 million to equip the Lagos Blue Line, including construction of a dual-fuel electric power generating station, modern train control system, communications and power distribution, as well as depot and maintenance facilities. When the entire line is operational, Eko Rail expects to attract at least 300,000 passengers per day, with trains running every 5 minutes.

The Eko Rail consortium - led by Nigerian-based emerging markets investment firm Verod Capital - brings together a world-class team of manufacturers, technical advisors, metro operators and public private partnership experts from the UK, Canada and South Africa.


http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Home/5743824-146/eko_rails_trains_begin_journey_to.csp

Whao, massive construction, i am impressed, Fashola is doing a great job.

Construction Video

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^-- Interesting

Lagosians lament lawlessness, unending gridlock, wasted time, and high fares on Lagos-Badagry Expressway

DRIVING to work on Monday, Femi Salami, who works in a steel fabrication company in the Volkswagen area, noticed large numbers of people waiting at Barracks Bus Stop on the Mile Two- Badagry Expressway, Lagos.

Glancing at his watch, he saw it was 10.10a.m., the time by which Lagosians would ordinarily have long settled down at their places of work or shops.

A minute later, he drove past Mile Two, then Maza Maza and First Gate Bus Stops, where he still saw more commuters waiting.

Wondering when the hundreds of waiting commuters would get to their destinations, Salami could also not help wondering how long the traffic pains caused by the Lagos-Badagry 10-lane road project would end.

Even before the crowds at the different bus stops, commuters had already been feeling the pain of indiscriminate increase in fares by transporters.

A commuter, Deji Junaidu, who lives at Mile-Two Housing Estate but works at Iyana Oba told The Guardian: “The increase in fares was how the bus owners reacted to the gridlock caused by the road works and which reduced the number of trips they make.

“Though laudable, the road project has created a whole lot of problems for us.

“Apart from the high fares, we must also contend with the chaotic traffic and the stress associated with it.

“A bus ride from Okokomiako to Mile Two, which sometime in the past, took just 15 to 20 minutes now lasts as long as one and half or two hours.

“On real bad days, commuters have been known to spend three hours from Okokomiko through Iyana-Iba to Mile Two Bus Stop,” Junaidu said.

The increase in fares by commuter bus operators has become a burden to Lagosians.

“From LASU Gate to Mile Two that was N100 has been hiked to N200.

“Sometimes, it goes much higher, especially when it rains” another commuter, Chidi Anoli, said.

Blaming the high fare and the traffic congestion on the on-going construction work, he said: “The journey from Okokomiako to Mile Two can be a test of patience, decorum and will.

“When the Lagos State government began the 10-lane carriageway, we were happy.

“We knew it would be of great benefit to this axis, but the snag is that the government failed to create an alternative route.”

He bemoaned the effect the intractable traffic was having on businesses along the route .

“ Sometimes, I open my shops around 11.00a.m. instead of 8.00a.m. and get home late in the night.

“When you open late, you do not make much sales and that is problem.

“The government should do something about the traffic, tell the contractors to create alternative route to reduce the suffering, which is becoming unbearable.”

A dealer in industrial chemical, Kola Lawal, lamenting the problem, told The Guardian: “It is tough having to pay more than double to get home.”

A junior worker in the Lagos public service, who lives in Okokomiako, told The Guardian she now spends almost N500 and from work at the Secretariat, Alausa, Ikeja.

Lamenting the cost of transportation on the route, Ade Bamigboye, who works in a company along the Oshodi/ Apapa Expressway said the 10-lane construction might have begun to hurt those it was meant to help.

“ Because of the traffic jam along Mile Two to Okoko, I sometimes hire a motorcyclist or I will not get home till 11.00p.m. or sometimes mid-night.

“Granted that the construction is the major cause of the problem, these could have been eased if traffic officials are always around to help.

“It is a fact that there are hardly any Lagos State Traffic Management Agency (LASTMA) official along the road anywhere after Mile Two.

“ I have seen LASTMA officials at work as late as 8.00p.m. along Isolo-Ejigbo-Ikotun Road.

“Why can’t the government post some of LASTMA officials to this route?” he asked.

He continued: “LASTMA would, at least, check the excesses of commercial bus and tanker drivers who often stop or park indiscriminately.

“The Danfo drivers are particularly notorious for making life unbearable for other road-users as they either stop or park indiscriminately while picking or discharging passengers.

“As a result of this, bus stops at Agboju, Alakija, Abule-Ado, Trade Fair under Bridge, Volks and Iyana-Iba are often blocked.

“Those unruly drivers worsen the traffic problem caused by the on-going construction. That is where LASTMA can be of help”, he said.

Another factor that contributes to the chaotic traffic is the lawlessness, frequently displayed by military personnel whose barracks are along the route.

This much was acknowledged by a member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Sultan Adeniji-Adele.

“The road leads my constituency and I can tell you that the problem on that road is not just the on-going project.

“Some military guys are causing some of the problems as they drive against traffic on the road with the belief that no one can stop them,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Assembly has called on LASTMA, the Traffic Division of the Nigerian Police, Badagry Division and other relevant agencies to urgently resolve the traffic crisis along the expressway.



http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/index.php?view=article&catid=3%3Ametro&id=65484%3Asour-tales-on-a-highway-&tmpl=component&print=1&layout=default&page=&option=com_content&Itemid=427

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqbIj9YMRiI&feature=player_embedded[/flash]

Lagos - Badagry expressway (5 Nov 2011)