Lagos–Ibadan rail project: New coaches arrive as tracks laying reach 152km

Temitope Adebayo

The Lagos–Ibadan standard gauge rail project may soon be flagged-off as the laying of tracks had reached 152 kilometres out of the 156-kilometre stretch. This is even as the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has taken delivery of two new coaches to be deployed for the railway.

Speaking after the inspection, which followed by a meeting with the contractor, supervising consultants and other stakeholders at Ologun Eru, on the outskirts of Ibadan, the Chairman of NRC, Mallam Ibrahim Al- Hassan, said the coaches were shipped in from China to start passenger services from Lagos to Ibadan.

The NRC boss, who disclosed that the two tracks would be completed by the end of July, added that once the double tracks are completed, passengers can begin to enjoy the services from Lagos to Ibadan.

According to him, it remains four kilometres to complete. The second track stops at 140 kilometres. I believe by the end of July, both tracks would be at the Ibadan station. We want to complete this as quickly as we can.

“Once the tracks are completed, the focus would be shifted to other ancillary works like the ongoing construction of stations and level crossings.

“We want to complete this (track laying) as quickly as we can so that other ancillary services could continue and we could put the tracks to use. Laying the tracks is the most important.

Once we have the tracks from Lagos to Ibadan, then when you look at the stations in Lagos, the ones in Abeokuta, they are already making progress”, he said.

By the time we finish laying the tracks, we would be able to move passengers from Lagos to Ibadan. Then the intermediary stations can come up later

We can have temporary stations if we need to.” The MD on his part explained that more coaches and locomotives would arrive to start operations on the Iju-Ibadan corridor while work continues on the Lagos end up to the Apapa station.

“Yesterday (Wednesday), two coaches got to Papalanto and hopefully by next month, we would be going for further inspection of another set and test.

We hope by September more locomotives would come”, he added. Okhiria said the corporation would use the temporary stations to operate the service from Lagos to Ibadan

On the Lagos end, he said most of the challenges had been addressed while work would commence in earnest on the corridor down to Apapa.

According to the Managing Director, NRC, Mr Fidet Okhiria, more coaches and locomotives will be procured to start operations on the Iju-Ibadan corridor while work continues on the Lagos end up to the Apapa station.

He stated that two coaches got to Papalanto on Wednesday and that by July, there would be further inspection of another set and test.