Blue-Line Railway Project: Lagos Announces Take Off Date

 

Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has revealed that the Lagos Blue Line rail project will take off in 2021.

The governor, during the inspection of the five-kilometer long Beam Bridge, in the company of members of the State Executive Council, declared that the completion of the track signaled his administration's dedication to seeing the completion of the rail project that was commissioned in 2009.

“The completion of this project is a top priority for our administration, as it is critical to the achievement of our prioritised pillar of traffic management and transportation in our six-point development agenda, known as project T.H.E.M.E.S.

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“The aim of this rail project is basically to reduce the travel time through an effective and efficient intermodal transport system. It is also key to the building of a 21st Century economy, which is central to the vision of a Greater Lagos aspiration. We are committed to delivering this project next year and ensuring its operation starts in 2021,” he said.

The Strategic Transport Master Plan sets the guidelines for the construction of the rail tracks, as the state strictly adhered to the plan that stipulates the laying of six rail lines and a monorail which is a part of the state's long-term goals.

In the state's ambition to vigorously tackle the stultifying traffic in the city, the Blue Line project isn't the only goal of the state, the governor also said that his administration would commence the creation of the Red Line rail project that would run from Agbado through Marina, stating that an ad had been put out for investors to participate in the laying of an extra four rail lines that fall under the Design, Build, Operate, Maintain, and Transfer model of Public-Private-Partnership arrangement.

“The government will also start the construction of eight quality bus corridors in strategic areas of Lagos. These bus corridors are our government’s initiative aimed at giving dedicated road space and traffic signal priority to mass transit buses to reduce journey times and improve service consistency.

“The initiative aims to encourage people to change from cars to buses and thus reducing traffic congestion. We are opening up new transport corridors to organised transport operators for seamless transport connectivity, reduce congestion, and truly make our state competitive.”

The Managing Director of CCECC, Michael Chiang said that the Continuous Beam Bridge was representative of the complex establishment of the Blue Line Project, also stating that the construction company was hampered by a handful of geological challenges before they could complete the project.

“It is another great milestone for the project, which indicates that we have successfully overcome the major difficulties and solved the most complex construction section problems. We have overcome different challenges ranging from the impact of fluctuating tides, the frequent berthing of oil vessel, the very complex geological condition of the seabed and several incidents of barges colliding with the trestle near the busy sea navigation route.”