Blames delay on third party issues
Lagos partners firm, pledges to deliver rail project in 2022
THE Lagos State government has said that the Marina to Mile 2 section of the blue rail line project will now be ready for passenger operation in 2022.
The new commencement date was disclosed at a major agreement with an experienced international railway systems aggregator and rolling stocks manufacturer, Alstom SA of France, as part of efforts to rev up the multimodal transport system in the state.
Besides, the state government attributed the delay in the completion of the first phase of the Lagos rail project to unforeseen third party issues, among other chal- lenges.
Managing Director of Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), Mr. Abiodun Dabiri, who spoke at the weekend during the signing of the agreement with Alstom SA, on behalf of the state government, said the partnership was as a result of the commitment of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode towards the transformation of public transportation in the state.
He said a consortium of experts engaged by the state government to undertake a technical due diligence on the LRMT Blue Line Project (Mile 2 – Marina) had developed a roadmap, which was accepted by the state government to bring the railway project to passenger operations.
The consortium, according to Dabiri, in a final report, outlined their findings and proposed a roadmap to complete the civil infrastructure works and the Operation & Maintenance (O&M) infrastructure that will be needed for the commencement of passenger operation. According to him, “based on the final report submitted, the consortium of Alstom Transport SA France has been engaged for the procurement, engineering, construction, installation of Operation & Maintenance (O&M) moveable infrastructure and commissioning of railway systems towards the commencement of passenger operations for LRMT Blue Line project from Marina to Mile 2.”
Meanwhile, a Director of Alstom SA, Mr. Guy JeanPierre, who commended the state government for the confidence reposed in the firm and the opportunity given to partner with the state on the project, said Alstom would work to ensure the delivery of the blue line to passenger operation by bringing on board required expertise and experience in rail system management.