Lagos-Ibadan rail project to be ready by April 2020 —Amaechi

The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, said Saturday that the Federal Government would deliver the Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge rail line by April next year.

Amaechi stated this while speaking to journalists at the end of the project inspection tour onboard the train from Iju to Ibadan.

The minister, who noted that the Lagos axis of the project had been challenging due to urbanisation, said the contractor had made significant improvement in the construction of train stations.

Amaechi said: “There is a huge improvement compared to the last time we came. We will all agree that there is a huge improvement.

“The contractor has assured us that by the 20th of December when we gather for next inspection, the tracks will get here (Omi Adio Station) in Ibadan, Oyo State.

“By then the focus will no longer be on the tracks, but on the completion of the stations, then communications and signalling. Once we get communications and signalling complete, we are out of Lagos-Ibadan.

“We have told you we will be out of this place (Lagos-Ibadan Standard gauge rail line) latest April. (2020). We are no longer giving ourselves the time, the contractor now gives us the time.”

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He said Nigerians should not forget there are two contracts in the stretch– Ebute-Metta to Ibadan and Ebute-Metta to Apapa ports.

“Most people have forgotten there are two contracts. The first contract is from Ebute-Metta to Ibadan.

“Then I came up with the idea that you don’t have a railway that does not end up in the seaport. That is the extension that is a little bit challenging now.

“They (contractor) can actually get to Ebute-Metta in the next one month. Getting to Ebute-Metta without getting to Apapa, we have not achieved much to clear the Apapa gridlock.

“The only easy way to clear the Apapa gridlock is to get the tracks into the seaport. By this, cargoes will just be loaded into wagons and taken to Ibadan,” the minister added.

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