The Lagos-Ibadan Standard Gauge train to begin commercial activities this November, the Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, has said.
Amaechi stated this on Monday, when he and the Minister of State for Transportation, Gbemi Saraki, led other stakeholders on tour of the project.
He said the Federal Government would also begin a free trial train service between Lagos and Ibadan for commuters.
”Our ambition is that by November we should begin trial of train services between Lagos and Ibadan for free,” The Nation quoted the minister as saying.
He, however, admitted that the pace of the project had been slow, adding that there was the need for the contractor to increase the pace of the project.
Amaechi said: ”They (contractor) need to increase their speed. They reduce their speed within the period that the government dissolved the last cabinet.
“Now that we are back, my colleague, the minister of state, and I resolved to push back the pressure to ensure they stick to the completion timelines.”
The minister disclosed that the double lane speed tracks had been laid up to kilometre 155, adding that where the project was recording challenge now was the completion of the stations, which according to him was impeded because the cabinet was not in place.
“The tracks are no longer the problem, the problem now, is how to get them to finish the stations on time,” he said.
Amaechi disclosed that the contractor, CCECC, had promised to complete all the minor stations in three months, but six months after, they had yet to do so.
Source: The Nation
