The Lagos State Government has announced the postponement of the completion of the Blue Line Light Rail project from Marina to Mile 2.
Making this known in Lagos, the State Government now said that the project is now scheduled to be completed in 2022.
According to Abiodun Dabiri, Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) the government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Alstom SA, a French multinational to complete the project.
He noted that the work plan has been divided into two phases, with phase one aimed at demonstrating the non-public operation of the existing rolling stock before the end of second quarter of 2019.
“For this purpose, a track length of about 3.0 km from Iganmu Station to National Theatre will be electrified. This operation would be done with the rolling stocks already supplied for the Blue Line project,” he said in a statement released on Sunday.
“This phase would allow the completion of all the preliminary works that would lead to the financing of the main works in Phase two. Phase one will be fully financed by the Lagos state government through internally generated revenue (IGR).
“Phase two, which is expected to be completed in 39 months, would entail the provision and installation of railway operations’ systems for the project from Marina to Mile 2 and the delivery of a passenger-ready Lagos Blue Rail Line by 2022.”
The Construction of the Blue Line project which began in 2009 was projected to be completed within 36-month. However, In October 2015, the state Government reported that the rail project would be completed by 2017.
It will be recalled that the concept of the lofty project was midwifed by the first civilian Governor of Lagos Lateef Jakande.
