The China Civil Engineering and Construction Corporation (CCECC) handling the Lagos-Ibadan Standard Guage Rail line on Saturday said that it would deliver the project on schedule despite all challenges.
Its Project Coordinator, Mr Xia Lijun, gave the assurance when he led some journalists on the Trial Running of the Lagos-Ibadan Standard Guage Rail line in Lagos.
Lijun noted the project’s speed in Lagos axis was reduced due to the urban development and other peculiarities of Lagos.
“This project is one of the fastest projects that China is doing in any country. If not for the complexities of Lagos, this project should have been completed since last year.
“Today, we see one gas pipe, tomorrow we see another and so many issues like this in the state. We are working hard to meet the deadline given by the Hon. Minister of Transportation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi.
“If we do not complete the project by April, we will be somewhere near completion level by then,” the CCECC coordinator said.
According to him, the efficiency of the firm reduces to less than one fifth in Lagos axis when compared to the usual speed of the project outside the state.
“The efficiency inside Lagos cannot reach one-fifth when compared to outside Lagos. The traffic in Lagos is worse too. We cannot have huge efficiency in Lagos corridor.
” We, however, have confidence that we will complete it up to what the minister wants. We will try our best. We have confidence that we will complete the project in good time,” he said.
On the work progress at the Apapa port axis, Lijun said the contractor through the Federal Government was talking with the port occupants on the way the firm would work and complete the work as soon as possible.
He said the track laying and stations had advanced appreciably.
Lijun said that so many Nigerians had been benefiting from the free train ride on the completed section of the corridor from Iju, in Lagos and Moniya in Ibadan.
Also, Prince Abdulraouf Akinwoye, the Public Relations Consultant of CCECC, said the company would not fail in its promise to deliver the project to Nigerians.
According to Akinwoye, when it comes to railway technology, China is leading the world and poised about giving Nigerians a modernised railway technology.
He said that the CCECC was concerned about the challenges and the plights some communities were facing as a result of the project.
He said that the project design did not allow level crossings but over-passes and under-passes, urging all communities to support the project rather than constituting a clog in the wheel of its progress.
Akinwoye, who commended the media for support, said the train service on standard guage had better speed, comfort and safety than that of the narrow guage.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that, though work had not fully resumed after the New Year break in all the 10 major and minor stations on the 157km rail line, significant progress had been made.
Work was ongoing at Agege, Ikeja, Oshodi, Mushin, Ebute Metta, Costain, Iganmu Apapa and other areas of the state.
