Transport in Lagos

Transport in Lagos currently consists of four modes: road, water, rail and air.

Roads

Railways
Main article: Lagos Rail Mass Transit
Lagos Rail Mass Transit
Overview
OwnerLagos State Managed by Eko Rail under a Concession Agreement
LocaleLagos, Nigeria
Transit typeRapid Transit
Operation
Began operationDecember 2022 (expected)
Operator(s)Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA)
Number of vehicles15 four-car BMU CNR Dalian for Blue Line
Technical
System length35 km (22 mi)
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge

Blue & Red Lines
 Agbado
 Iju
 Agege
 Ikeja
 Shogunle
 Airport
Murtala Muhammed International Airport
 Mafoluku
 Ajao Estate
Oshodi
 Mushin
 Jibowu
 Yaba
 Ebute Metta
Depot
 Okokomaiko
 LASU
 Volkswagen
 Trade Fair
 Alakija
 Festac Town
Mile 2
 Alaba
 Iganmu
 National Theatre
Iddo Mainline rail interchange
Lagos Harbour
 Ebute Ero
 Marina

Lagos Rail Mass Transit is a system being developed and under construction in Lagos, Nigeria. The system (the first modern rail-based public transport in Sub-Saharan Africa outside of South Africa) is being sponsored by the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) and is envisioned to consist eventually of seven lines.[1] The railway equipment including electric power, signalling, rolling stock, and fare collection equipment will be provided by the private sector under a Concession Contract. LAMATA is responsible for policy direction, regulation, and infrastructure for the network.[2]

The concessionaire will generate its own dedicated electricity.[3] The first section of the network (Phase I of the Blue Line) was scheduled to enter revenue service by the first quarter of 2014,[1] but had not yet opened as of September 2014, amid delays.[4]

Timeline
  • 2008: A metro is proposed for Lagos, allegedly with a completion date of 2011.
  • 2009: Construction commences on the Blue Line.[1]
  • 2010: Lagos Rail Mass Transit to proceed.
  • 2016: Phase I (the Blue Line from Marina to Mile 2) planned to open in December 2016.
  • 2018: After an Alstom review of the project, Phase I (the Blue Line from Marina to Mile 2) is now set to open in 2021.
  • 2021: The Lagos State Government announced that the Blue and Red Lines will open in December 2022.[5]
  • 2022, January: LAMATA purchases two Talgo VIII trains.

History

The Lagos tramway ran from 1902 to 1933.[6] The passenger line was one of the earliest public transport system built within Lagos, carrying travelers, traders and workers from the train station at Iddo going to Lagos Island.[6]

The idea of developing rapid transit in Lagos dates from the 1980s with the Lagos Metroline network conceived by the Alhaji Lateef Jakande during the Second Nigerian Republic.[7] The initial Metroline project was scrapped in 1985 by Muhammadu Buhari at a loss of over $78 million to the Lagos tax payers.[8] The idea of developing a light rail network for Lagos was revived by Governor Bola Tinubu in the early 2000s with a formal announcement of its construction in December 2003.[9]

This initial $135 million proposal was part of the greater Lagos Urban Transportation Project to be implemented by the newly formed Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA).[9] LAMATA initially concentrated on developing a Bus Rapid Transit system, running from Mile 12 to Lagos Island. In 2008, LAMATA began also to make progress with the rail project, focusing initially on the Blue Line and the Red Line.

Rolling stock

In September 2011, LAMATA announced that it would acquire some H5-series subway trains formerly used by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). The cars are being refurbished in the United States and converted to standard gauge before being imported and put into service on the Blue and Red lines. The same contract also included an option for some H6-series subway cars from the TTC, however this has since been cancelled.[10][11][12][13] The trains were built as two-unit married pairs[14] with a driver's cab in the front right corner of each car.[15]

Okokomaiko-Marina Blue Line

In April 2008, the Lagos State Government approved ₦ 70 billion for construction of the Okokomaiko-Iddo-Marina Line, with an estimated completion date of 2011.[2] Advisory services are being provided by CPCS Transcom Limited, an Infrastructure Development consulting firm based in Ottawa, Canada. Construction actually commenced in January 2010, and completion is now expected in 2015.[16]

The Blue Line is now being built by China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation. The Blue Line will run 27.5 km from Marina to Okokomaiko, with 13 stations. End-to-end journey time will be approximately 35 minutes. It is being built as a high capacity, electrically powered rail mass transit system. Most of the route will be on the surface, running east-west, in the central reservation of the rebuilt Badagry Expressway between Igbo-Elerin Road (Okokomaiko) and Iganmu.

The line will run on elevated structure from Iganmu along the south side of the expressway passing the junction with Eric Moore Road, crossing just south of the National Theatre to Iddo, then south to Lagos Island with a terminal at Marina. Construction is underway between National Theatre and Mile 2. A Maintenance and Storage Facility (MSF) will be constructed at Okokomaiko, with a track connection from the Blue Line to the depot.

The entire Blue Line will operate over a secure and exclusive right-of-way, with no level crossings and no uncontrolled access by pedestrians or vehicles. Lagos State is financing construction of the Blue Line from its own resources. A concession contract is being awarded to finance, supply and operate the railway equipment, including electric power, signalling, trains, and fare collection.

Agbado-Marina Red Line

The second line, the Red Line, will run from Marina to Agbado.[16] The line will share the existing 30 metre wide Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) right-of-way.[1]

Other lines

LAMATA has long term plans to build up to seven lines.[16]

Bus terminals

See also

References
  1. "Lagos Rail Mass Transit". Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority. 2014. Archived from the original on 2016-12-01. Retrieved 2014-03-02.
  2. Bisiriyu, Rasheed (April 11, 2008). "N70bn Lagos light rail ready in 2011". The Punch.
  3. "Lagos Light Rail". Railways Africa Magazine. 2010-12-12. Retrieved 2010-12-12.
  4. "Eyebrows Raised Over Stalled $1bn Light Rail Project In Lagos".
  5. "Lagos says blue, red rail lines will be ready by December 2022". February 25, 2021.
  6. Miller, Nevil (1966). "Lagos steam tramway and its unique locomotives'". The Railway Magazine. 115: 103–106. ISSN 0033-8923.
  7. "Turning Lagos Into a Megacity". PM News. April 14, 2004.
  8. Farukanmi, Olorunnimbe (January 24, 2003). "Battle of Generals". Vanguard.
  9. Momodu, Shaka (December 3, 2003). "Lagos Launches $135m Rail System". This Day.
  10. Kalinowski, Tess (2011-09-06). "TTC subway cars bound for Nigeria". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2012-12-05.
  11. "Eko Rail's Trains Begin Journey to Lagos". PR Newswire. 2011-09-27. Retrieved 2012-12-05.
  12. "Report on sales of surplus assets" (PDF). Toronto Transit Commission. 2009-05-28. Retrieved 2013-06-15.
  13. "First subway cars leave Toronto for Lagos". International Railway Journal. 2011-09-28. Archived from the original on 2011-10-03. Retrieved 2013-06-15. The Blue Line is expected to carry 300,000 passengers a day with trains running at 5-minute headways.
  14. "Lagos settles for refurbished subway cars for its light rail project". Nigerians Abroad. 2011-05-11. Archived from the original on 2013-10-26. Retrieved 2013-06-14. Subway cars — equivalent of trains — are series of connected railroad cars used for intra city (urban) transportation, usually underground and operated by electricity.
  15. "Toronto Transit Commission 5670-5807". CPTDB. Retrieved 2013-06-14.
  16. The Report: Nigeria 2012. Oxford Business Group. 2012. ISBN 9781907065668. Retrieved 2013-06-15. Also under development is the Lagos light rail network, which will be regulated by LAMATA. The $1.2bn contract to build the Blue Line, which will run 27.5 km through 13 stations from Okokomaiko to Marina, was awarded to the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation. In anticipation of the Blue Line's 2015 completion, Nigerian firm Eko Rail has bought 255 subway cars from Canada's Toronto Transit Commission. Also being developed is the 30-km Red Line, to run between Marina and Agbado. LAMATA hopes to later add five more lines, to be serviced by Eko Rail.

Further reading
  • Conover, Ted (2010). "Drive Soft-Life No Get Duplicate". The Routes of Man: How Roads Are Changing the World and the Way We Live Today. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. pp. 263–297. ISBN 978-1-4000-4244-9.
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