Thread by @toluogunlesi

And we are back! Another #LagosIbadanRail Tour. Haven’t been here since before construction started on the main Station in Lagos. Impressed by how far work has gone.

Follow this unfolding thread. #infrastructure

We’re starting with the Ebute Metta Station, under construction. Will be the biggest of the 10 Stations. #LagosIbadanRail

Construction #LagosIbadanRail #Station

Recap: There will be 10 Stations on the #LagosIbadanRail Line, across 3 States: Lagos, Ogun and Oyo.

Apapa
Lagos Main (Ebute Metta)
Agege
Agbado
Kajola
Papalanto
Abeokuta
Olodo
Omi-Adio
Ibadan Main (Moniya)

[Moniya will also be home to an Inland Container Terminal]

The next phase, on completion of #LagosIbadanRail will be #IbadanKanoRail.

📷: #LagosIbadanRail. Ebute Metta Station in Lagos under construction.

It’s a wet day on the Lagos Mainland. We’re in Agege now. Walking along the narrow gauge track which runs parallel to the standard gauge tracks - under construction on the right. #LagosIbadanRail

Earthworks ahead of track laying (The existing Tracks you can see belong to the old narrow-gauge line, which is also being rehabilitated in sections alongside the construction of the standard gauge line).

It’s a lot of work, complicated by the already built-up nature of metropolitan Lagos, and a preponderance of gas and water pipes, buildings, markets, etc. #LagosIbadanRail

Culverts, underpasses, overpasses, etc all need to be constructed in built-up areas. A major undertaking.

And big lesson for all other Nigerian cities: plan for Rail Lines now - even if you don’t have any plans to build anytime soon. Create & enforce right of way in advance!

We’ve left Agege, now in Iju/Agbado. From Iju the standard gauge tracks have been laid all the way to Kilometer 157 in Ibadan (Terminal point)

Earlier in the year we took the Train from Iju to Abeokuta. At least one subsequent Tour has gone all the way to Ibadan #LagosIbadanRail

We boarding the Test Train. #LagosIbadanRail

Boarded. Will let you know how far we’re going on today’s Test Ride. From here (Iju) the Tracks run all the way to Ibadan 🚊 #LagosIbadanRail

#LagosIbadanRail

VIDEO: See the new standard gauge and the old narrow gauge lines running side by side, in Iju. For those who’ve been wondering what difference between the two gauges is. It’s like the difference between APC (standard gauge) and PDP (narrow gauge) (just kidding!) #LagosIbadanRail

We’re moving. #LagosIbadanRail

[See the revamped narrow gauge in the background]

Aboard the Train. There’s a nice-looking boardroom here on this Test Train. I wonder if this design will be available on the operational Trains - hold your board meeting en route to Ibadan, tour the City, and catch a return train to Lagos. All in a day’s work. #LagosIbadanRail

Double Tracks for the standard gauge. We’re riding on one, that’s the second one in the video. For those who’ve been asking. It’s not a single track line. #LagosIbadanRail

The existing rail network in Nigeria is ‘NARROW-gauge’ Rail, built a century ago. The new ones (e.g. #AbujaKadunaRail #LagosIbadanRail) are STANDARD-gauge: modern, faster trains (NRC says 150km/hour min speed; can support higher speeds), and larger freight-bearing capacity.

We just stopped at Kajola, in Ogun State. [There’ll be a Station here]

On Nov 8, 2019 there will be a groundbreaking ceremony on this site for a Wagon Assembly Plant - in the first instance. Eventually, locomotives & coaches will be locally-manufactured here. #LagosIbadanRail

The Station at Kajola, under construction #LagosIbadanRail

VIDEO: Kajola Station #LagosIbadanRail

Minister of Transport @ChibuikeAmaechi : I want (Free) Trial Runs for #LagosIbadanRail to start on the 30th of November, from Ebute Metta all the way to Ibadan. Also, all minor stations must also be completed by end of November.

So the #LagosIbadanRail tracks have been laid between Kilometer 23 and Kilometer 157. The ongoing phase of the track laying is now between KM 4 (Ebute Metta) and KM 23. The most challenging bit, considering it’s within the Lagos metropolis.

The weather has been a big challenge to the pace of work. Plenty rain, slowing down work. Also Lagos Traffic conditions. #LagosIbadanRail

HM Amaechi: We agreed with the Chinese that they will build a Wagon Assembly Plant in #Nigeria. Will start off assembling wagons. 5 years after, will start manufacturing wagons & assembling locomotives & coaches; 10 years later, will start manuf. locos & coaches. #LagosIbadanRail

We just passed a spot (marked by a Tunnel) between Kajola and Papalanto in Ogun State, where the standard and narrow gauge lines part ways - narrow gauge goes on to run through the center of Abeokuta, while standard gauge runs on the fringes of the city. #LagosIbadanRail

The Chinese contractors will in addition to building a Wagon/Locomotive/Coach Assembly/Manufacturing Plant in Ogun State, also build a University of Transportation in Katsina State, to develop rail talent and capacity in Nigeria. #LagosIbadanRail

We just crossed the longest bridge on #LagosIbadanRail. 24 spans, each span 32m. Making a total of 768m. It’s between Papalanto and Abeokuta.

See the verdant beauty of Ogun State...

Abeokuta! #LagosIbadanRail. My second time in Abeokuta by train, from Iju in Lagos. See the Abeokuta Station ahead. One of the 4 Main Stations.

Also see if you can spot @TonyePrincewill in the video.

Abeokuta! #LagosIbadanRail

Abeokuta is Kilometer 82 #LagosIbadanRail

Abeokuta Station. KM 82. Terminal point is KM 157, in Moniya, Ibadan. Minister @ChibuikeAmaechi says we’re going all the way to Ibadan. We Move. #LagosIbadanRail

We’ve passed Olodo Station (KM 110), now at Omi Adio Station in Ibadan. #LagosIbadanRail

We’re now in Ibadan. That’s the Ibadan Station under construction, in Moniya. Beyond it is the land for the planned Inland Container Terminal / Dry Port #LagosIbadanRail

Ibadan Station. One of 4 “main” Stations, & terminal point for #LagosIbadanRail section of #LagosKanoRail. This is KM 157.

To correct an earlier tweet, tracks currently stop at KM 153; the laying of KM153—KM157 will wait until the giant vehicle underpass at Moniya is completed.

Tracks currently stop at KM 153; so we’ve walked the 4km till the end (KM157).

Laying of KM153—KM157 Tracks will wait until giant vehicle underpass at Moniya is completed.

Here’s a video of the Underpass under construction. Will give access to cars going from Ibadan to Saki/etc

Making the 4km walk back to the Train, to begin the return journey to Lagos. So that’s how we successfully rode the 157km standard gauge rail line connecting Lagos and Ibadan. It’s a massive project, started 2017, and it’s great to see it approaching completion! #LagosIbadanRail

Here’s where we crossed Ogun River, around 2pm this afternoon. One of the (longer) bridges on #LagosIbadanRail - not the longest though.

Moniya, Ibadan, earlier today. #LagosIbadanRail #StandardGauge

Here’s the Test Train that took us from Lagos (Iju) to Ibadan and back, today. #LagosIbadanRail

#LagosIbadanRail Inspection Tour, by HM @ChibuikeAmaechi | Monday October 28, 2019

#LagosIbadanRail Inspection Tour, from Ebute Metta all the way to KM157 in Ibadan.

Test Train on #LagosIbadanRail Inspection yesterday. Because it was a Test + Inspection tour, we rode from Lagos to Ibadan and back at average speeds of 30-50km per hour. But the actual operational speed post-launch will be 90-120km/hour.

Free trial rides for the public will hopefully launch before end-2019. When the full service launches (c Q2 2020) plan is for a standard service (all 10 Stations), and an Express Service (stopping only in the Main Stations - in Lagos, Abeokuta and Ibadan). #LagosIbadanRail

Ebute Metta (PIX) classified as a “Mega” Station. Will be biggest of the 10. Apapa St being designed with all the features of an “origin” Station, as that’s where passenger line starts. Apapa will also have a rail extension that goes into the Harbour, for on/off-loading freight.