ABUJA – The Marina Express Train Service Ltd (METSL) is collaborating with the Infrastructure Bank of Nigeria to construct the proposed Lagos Metro Rail Transit (LMRT) Red Line project.
Sen. Idris Umar, the Minister of Transport, said this on Friday in Abuja at the Ceding and Handing over of the Right of Way (ROW) for the Iddo-Agbado Corridor for the proposed rail line.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the proposed Mass Transit Train Service (MTTS) which is named “Red Line’’, will operate within the Lagos metropolis for the benefit of the entire populace and progress of Nigeria at large.
He said this would significantly impact on the growth and development of the Lagos-Ogun states industry and economic development zones.
Umar said the MTTS Red Line was projected to carry a large number of passengers per day, freeing up an estimated four to five hours productive time to each commuter on the Agbado-Marina axis.
He said the project would address the transportation problems of the commercial nerve centre of the country with an estimated 20 million populace and also would enhance economic development.
Umar called for private sector collaboration in other states of the federation, to facilitate further infrastructure development in the country.
[pro_ad_display_adzone id=”70560″]
He expressed delightover the request by Lagos State Government for the Federal Government to release the eastern section of the existing Nigerian Railway Corporation’s (NRC) Right of Way in Lagos.
“I considered it a welcome idea knowing fully well that such development will boost the economic fortunes of the state which will eventually spread to other states in the country.
“The request was treated with dispatch, with the constitution of a Technical Committee to look into the possibility of sharing the existing NRC rail corridor in Lagos without interruption in the operation of the corridor.
“The committee comprises representatives from the Ministry of Transport, NRC, Lagos State Government and Lagos Area Metropolitan Transport Authority.’’
Umar explained that the technical committee, in its report, noted that the Right of Way of the existing narrow gauge rail corridor was 30 metres and could accommodate five tracks of rail lines of which the Federal Government would occupy three rail tracks of the western side of the corridor.
“The three rail tracks consist of two tracks for the proposed railway modernization project and one narrow gauge line for freight and passenger movement.
“Lagos State Government and LAMATA will occupy two standard gauge two tracks on the Eastern side of the corridor for the construction and operation of the standard gauge Lagos State MTTS.’’
Umar said the state government would be responsible for the acquisition of Right of Way and payment of compensation to communities within Lagos area.
He further said that the Lagos State Government would be responsible for the relocation of the NRC infrastructure from the Eastern side to the Western side of the track.
He said in pursuant of the laudable project, as a leading member of the bidding Consortium, Marina Express Train Services project had proposed a draft agreement between the Ministry of Transport, NRC and the Lagos State Government on the sharing of the equity on the ROW of the existing rail corridor between Iddo and Agbado.
According to him, the proposed draft agreement has been reviewed, vetted, sanctioned by the Ministry of Justice for execution.
In his remarks, Mr Olusegun Aganga, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, said the project had the capacity to generate between 5,000 and 10, 000 direct and indirect jobs respectively.
Aganga said the job creation would be during the construction period, adding that another 3,000 and 5,000 jobs would be created directly and indirectly during operation phase. (NAN)
you may also like:
