The Lagos State government has signed a major agreement for the state’s Rail Mass Transit (LRMT) with an experienced global railway systems aggregator and rolling stocks manufacturer, Alstom SA of France.

After a comprehensive review of the rail project, which is supposed to have begun passenger operation but for unforeseen challenges, the state government said the Marina to Mile 2 section of the project, known as the Blue Line Rail, would be ready for passenger operation in 2022.

The state government had engaged consultants to carry out a technical review and due diligence on the implementation of the project. The consultants reported back to the government that the operation of the first phase may only begin in 2022.

Alstom SA France, a firm with over 100 years of railway experience covering 60 countries, was subsequently engaged to review the report of the consultants.

In its report, the firm agreed that the first phase of the project could only become operational in 2022, based on proposed funding pattern.

At the signing of the agreement with Alstom SA, the Managing Director of Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), Mr. Abiodun Dabiri, who signed on behalf of the state government, said the partnership was the result of the commitment of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode towards the transformation of public transportation in the state.

The LAMATA chief said a consortium of experts the state government engaged to undertake a technical due diligence on the LRMT Blue Line Project (Mile 2 – Marina) had developed a roadmap, which was accepted by the state government to bring the railway project into operations.

In its final report, Dabiri said, the consortium outlined its findings and proposed a roadmap to complete the civil infrastructure works as well as the Operation & Maintenance (O&M) infrastructure, which will be needed for the commencement of passenger operation.

He said: “Based on the final report submitted, the consortium of Alstom Transport SA France has been engaged for the procurement, engineering, construction, installation of the O and M moveable infrastructure and commissioning of railway systems towards the commencement of passenger operations for LRMT Blue Line project from Marina to Mile 2.”

Highlighting the extent of work to be carried out by the consortium, Dabiri noted that for ease of implementation, the work plan had been divided into two phases: phase one for demonstrating the non-public operation of the existing rolling stock before end of second quarter of 2019.

He added: “For this purpose, a track length of about 3.0 kilometres from Iganmu Station to the National Theatre will be electrified. This operation would be done with the rolling stocks already supplied for the Blue Line project.”

The LAMATA chief said the current efforts of the Ambode administration on the rail project was to bring to fruition the state government’s commitment to deliver a multi-modal transport system and transform the public transportation landscape with a view to moving it closer to the achievement of the first integrated and multi-modal transport system in Nigeria.

A Director of Alstom SA, Mr. Guy Jean-Pierre, thanked the state government for the confidence reposed in the firm and the opportunity given to partner with the state on the Blue Line Rail project.