If the tweet by Gboyega Akosile, chief press secretary ( CPS) to the governor of Lagos state, after the inspection visit to the rail construction site by the Lagos state Debt Management Office ( DMO) and Security Exchange Commission (SEC) after an inspection visit to the project site recently is anything to rely upon, then there are indications that the Lagos blue line light rail project will be opened for use by Lagosians by 2021.
During the visit by officials of the DMO and SEC, an official of the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC); contractors handling the Lagos Blue Line Light Rail project had told the team that the Mile-2 to National Theatre section, which is Phase II and III is 98 percent completed.
It is expected that, the project, which has been on for years, was expected to play a key role in the state’s rail mass transit, as the light blue rail alignment would cross a total distance of 27km from Marina to Okokomaiko, and serve eleven (11) stations after completion. The project is funded in part with N87.5 billion bond series.
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With the population of the sprawling city estimated at over 20 million increasing every year, the rail project is expected to provide solution to the perennial traffic congestion and improve connectivity between Badagry and Lagos in a more efficient way, reduces travel and lower travel cost along the corridor.
During the visit, Olujimi Ige, leader of the inspection team and permanent secretary, Debt Management Office, expressed satisfaction with the status of work done on the rail project.
Lamenting that, the project had been abandoned sometime in 2016, he expressed optimism that, there was hope that project would be restarted and ready for use soon.
As the time of filing this report, four stations had been completed, as well as other elements which include the tracks works, while work was still ongoing on the National Theatre to Marina bridge phase IV project works.
Some areas of the project platform such as Iganmu to Marina were elwvated, while some were on ground in the middle of the LagosBadagry Expressway.
One of the engineers working with CCECC on the project, John Zhao, had said in a tweet last November 10 that, some achievements had been made on MarinaMile 2 stations, including the oversea bridge, which is phase I of the Blue Line project.
Furthermore, seacrossing bridge between Piers #104-#114, extra-long dridge from Pier #26-#93 including the launch of simple support T- beams had been completed, while work was ongoing from Pier #0-#27 and Marina terminal station.
