The completion of track laying of the on-going Lagos-Ibadan Standard Gauge Railway modernisation project remains four kilometres to reach Ibadan end axis.
So far, 152 kilometres of track laying from Lagos to Ibadan has been achieved.
Chairman, Board of Directors, Nigeria Railway Corporation, NRC Alhaji Ibrahim Alhassan was speaking at the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, CCECC office, after the inspection of the project from Lagos to Ibadan, Oyo State capital.
“The tracks have been laid up to 152 kilometres. It remains four kilometres to complete. I believe by the end of July those tracks will be at Ibadan station,” “We want to complete this as quickly as possible so that other ancillary services will continue and we shall put the tracks to use.”Alhassan said.
He pointed out that the Lagos-Ibadan rail transport modernisation work was not the only project of its kind seeking urgent attention.
“There’s a section to Kano that has to be done, so we need to have the tracks laid also from Kano to Kaduna. There are other areas but we want to get these ones done. So soon as they are done we shall know where to continue,” the NRC chairman narrated.
Prioritising Projects
~The NRC board Chairman emphasised on the importance of prioritising projects, saying that in the case of this project laying of tracks is most important.
Having completed befitting mega stations for the project, Alhassan affirmed: “When you look at the station in Lagos, the ones in Abeokuta and Ibadan are already making big progress.
“By the time we finish laying the tracks’, the NRC leader elaborated, “we shall be able to use the train from Lagos to Ibadan. The ancillary stations can come later. We can have temporary stations, if we need to, for example, portacabins, things like that.”
Challenges
He said there was need to pay attention to critical issues, highlighting the challenges at hand.
“Some buildings encroached which we have to demolish. These are big challenges that we are facing. We also have problem of drainages; some drainages are blocked,” Alhassan stated.
Nhe noted that the encroachment by the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) has been addressed.
He added that relocation of water and gas pipe lines were also challenges that have to be surmounted.
Source: VON
